Dark Lineage
by Sadistic Memory
Summary: ON HIATUS: Kagome's blood makes it inevitable to avoid being turned to the Dark Side. An unforseen complication of her dying only stirs things up. The only question now can Inuyasha do the right thing and bring the pieces of her back together?
1. Shade One

Not too sure if anyone was waiting for Version 2.0 to come out here, but I have done it. Old readers should re-read, major changes.

For new readers, some details.

The story used to be called They Must Be Put to Rest.

I used to be known as blackcats of the moon. Obviously, I've changed that, and I'm almost positive that the reason why people don't read this anymore is because I haven't made that clear.

I realized that the summary was lacking in hooks, so if you have miraculously found your way in, here's a better one.

Kagome is descended from a line of protectors of the Shikon no Tama. However, the mikos also have a gene that makes corruption easy. Reincarnation or not, her turbulent feelings get out of hand and result in her death. Exactly how much does Naraku have to do with it? Did he interfere with the half that got reborn as a demon in the feudal era? Kagome needs to become whole again, or else both the present and the past will have serious enemies to deal with.

My updating schedule is going to be every other Sunday. If I'll be late, I'll probably make a note of it in the chapter before.

Have fun.

* * *

**Dark Lineage**

**Chapter One: **

But everything is tied to something. And the trees have been here longer than we, and hold more knowledge.

It was a statement such as this that brought the miko back.

Kikyo was standing in a clearing, in front of the Goshinboku, the tree that Inuyasha had been pinned to for 50 long years. So many memories surrounded this touching memorial. She touched the arrow hole in the trunk gently, and frowned. Her reincarnation had left her mark time after time, always gazing pityingly at the groove. It was pathetic the way she tried to feel what Kikyo had felt. It wasn't right. Scoffing at her feelings of jealousy, Kikyo summoned her soul collectors for her to leave the place.

* * *

"I think we have enough ramen left for you to have sixths, if you would like to make me go back again tomorrow, Inuyasha." Kagome declared a bit sarcastically after sifting through the contents of her bag. She had returned 2 days ago, and Sango and Miroku were off somewhere, looking for a place to spend the night. That left Inuyasha to guard her-not that she couldn't take care of herself.

"Inuyasha?" she glanced up, already dreading what she would see. His white hair was rapidly fading as it bounded to the west. "Sit, you stupid...baka!" she practically screamed, tears almost coming to her eyes. He had been drifting off more and more, obviously thinking of Kikyo.

Unbeknownst to her, the white sphere of her innocent heart (which had been purged when Kikyo was "reborn" out of her hatred and bad feelings) had acquired another blemish. Slowly, her heart was turning black. When the transformation was complete...

* * *

Inuyasha jumped onto the cliff. He stumbled a little, and regained his balance easily. Kikyo turned towards him, and smiled a little. She took her current project and hid it behind her back. While making hand motions to conceal it, she walked a little closer.

"It's good to see you again, Inuyasha. What brings you this time?" she asked gently, hiding the note of irritation skillfully.

"Uh-I just wan-wanted to see you again. It's been weeks since I saw you last." He stuttered uncharacteristically.

"Are you sure that it wasn't because my reincarnation has been pestering you? She can be quite annoying. Doesn't ever appreciate what she has."

"Yeah, that is true. She can't even stay one extra day at times because she has these things called 'tests' that can't be missed. What could be more important than finding the shards of the Shikon Jewel? She should be glad that she has the opportunities to go on an adventure like this." Inuyasha agreed blindly.

"Damn! I forgot! She's alone back at the camp! I was supposed to protect her! I'm sorry Kikyo, but I have to leave. I promise to return." He turned to leave, but was stopped by Kikyo with a kiss. She didn't feel it, and also wished she didn't have to, but Kikyo had to stop his thoughts.

After she broke it off, she said, "Come back soon, and remember, you're mine. I'll hold you to your promise with these two shards." She held them up for emphasis. She had planned to add them to the ones that Naraku already possessed, but perhaps there was some use in keeping them. Leverage, that was the word that ruled her second life in the feudal era.

* * *

"Really Sango, you should allow me to help you with your armor, it would go faster." Miroku pleaded, his hand inching towards her elbow, and then lower down.

"Not a chance, you lecherous freak of nature! Don't think that I don't know what you really want to do. I hope that Kagome and Inuyasha are okay, I don't think they'll be happy to know that there are no temples or villages around for us to stay in." said Sango as she took off the various pieces of her armor.

Arriving back at camp, they were only half-surprised to see a grim-faced Kagome alone.

Sango sat down next to her. "He left to see Kikyo again, didn't he?" she asked casually, sighing at the impossibility of the hanyou.

Kagome nodded, her eyes starting to water. The reminder had turned her heart another shade darker.

Inuyasha didn't arrive until nightfall. By then, everyone was asleep.

"Inuyasha."

He turned; his sword half-out. Kaugra stood before him with a mocking smile playing about her lips. It began disappearing as she continued with her message.

"How is your beloved Kikyo doing? Much better than Kagome, isn't she? Much prettier, more powerful, what is less? At this rate, you'll be seeing more of her than Kagome. You know, her heart is getting darker every time you see Kikyo. There will be consequences. You had best see to what you truly want." She finished with a scowl, and summoned her feather, flying off.

* * *

Kagome was still preoccupied with the events of the day before. Her mood didn't improve much when Inuyasha said, "Kikyo has two of the shards we'll need to complete the jewel. I think that we can count on her to help a little. After all, she did have the skills necessary to obtain those two." He ignored to daggers shot at him by Shippo, Sango, and Miroku, even though he knew that it was wrong to mention it that way.

"And how is she doing?!" Kagome asked, a little too sweetly, her hands clenching the air as she made rude gestures every few minutes. She really couldn't control herself; she was making signs she didn't even know she knew.

The morning passed on, the group traveling in silence, when suddenly, with a screech, a large bird dropped from above and carried Kagome off. Her backpack was caught with her, and she grabbed it tightly to make sure it didn't fall down below. Not crying for help, but smirking slightly instead, she gave Inuyasha the eerie feeling that she had this planned.

As the bird soared into the sky, Inuyasha and Kirara began following. That is, they were until several more of them came down and started fighting. By the time the battle was over, the raptor was nowhere to be seen. The distraction had worked.

"Damn! That fucking bird got away!" Inuyasha swore.

Sango and Miroku watched worriedly. They were well aware of his feelings for both Kagome and Kikyo.

"Can't you smell them out or something?" asked Sango, returning her weapons to their sheaths. Squinting, she recovered a shard, that amazingly, was still pure after being used by the rocs.

"If I could, I would be there by now!" shouted Inuyasha brusquely. "Those other birds messed me up, there are too many scents for me to distinguish Kagome's from!" 'Not to mention that they also made sure they each carried her scent.' He added silently, unnerved by the intelligence they were displaying.

* * *

_The wind carried Inuyasha's distress to me, clear and piercing through my head. Sensitivity to feelings...that was something I wouldn't mind losing anytime soon. I was currently preparing to leave for Kaede's. My sister had one of the things I needed, and information about my reincarnation._

_If I killed her, would my soul completely return to me? Could I live in a semblance of life with Inuyasha?_

_Now I was headed for him. He still meant something to me..._

..._but what did I mean to him? _

_I landed softly. They were all facing the other way, so it was unexpected for me to drop in suddenly. _

"So Inuyasha, I can see that you have lost her again. Or is it that she as run away from you again?" I said a little mockingly. Perhaps it was too much, as he finally lost his temper. I seem to have lost a bit of that diplomatic touch that I possessed.

"Yeah?! So what?! I'm going to find her, no matter what it takes." He growled, pacing.

"Yes, of course, but I am well aware that you cannot use your normal means to find her. You DO remember when I was able to disguise her from you a while ago. You lack the means, dear, to find her in all but the simplest situations." I goaded. This was getting to be fun.

You could see a fuse going off in his head. A vein was throbbing in his right temple, and he blurted, "And what do you suggest, Kikyo?!"

I waited a while until I commanded all of their attention, forcibly taken or otherwise. Then, I said simply, "I will find her for you."

Sango and Miroku looked at Inuyasha disapprovingly when he showed signs of considering. Personally, I thought that the only reason they disliked me was because of Inuyasha's injustice to Kagome as a result of seeing me. I was charming enough to convince anyone that I was wonderful, if they had not been seeded by someone else first, of course.

"Of course we will accept your offer! Anything for Kagome." murmured Shippo, a little falsely. I had forgotten about him, but it only stands to reason that he was the one to speak first. He was devoted to her. Then again, such rash agreement...I eyed him skeptically.

There must have been something in the air, I don't usually act like this.

* * *

They all stood, weighing the pros and cons of accepting or refusing Kikyo's offer, Inuyasha the most disturbed. Everyone, even the innocent Shippo could tell that he didn't want to rescue Kagome with Kikyo by his side, but what could he do?

"Very well, I will take you up on your offer." He sighed finally. It had occurred to him that he could ask her to stay until Kagome was safe, but he knew that they could not handle the demons that would erupt there.

Kikyo smiled in triumph, and shot a look of glee at Sango, (if you can imagine Kikyo gleeful). Concentrating, she summoned a soul and used it to power her miko abilities. Her entire body seemed to expand, and her hair lifted in the unfelt breeze. Eyes blank, she turned in a complete circle, staying to the east longer than to the other directions.

After a few moments, she gasped and released the remains of the soul, collapsing right away. Instinctively, Inuyasha caught her, blushing as he did so. Kikyo basked in his attention for a few moments, ignoring Sango's glares, and then continued dramatically.

"She-she is at the-the cliffs of the Rocs (sorry about the hackneyed name, but I couldn't think of anything original) beyond the western seas. It is heavily guarded, and Naraku presides over the doings of the Rocs." Kikyo poured out. Her face had colored, and she looked much like she had before her new body had been made. (A/N: no, not the dead body, the original one.)

* * *

She screamed again for fun, although she knew by now that it was futile. The giant bird had been flying for at least a day, and showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. (No, there were no bathroom troubles. There never are in mangas, haven't you noticed?)

'Inuyasha, where are you?' she wondered bitterly. This bird was no match for him; he should have caught up already. Perhaps he was making her wait, to make her realize even more how much she needed him. Maybe she shouldn't have twisted her mouth like that, but the pain was sharp.

Sharp enough not to have been as natural as she wished it should have been. It had been sent as a reminder, or a prelude to what would follow maybe.

She could only wait now, until she got to where she was supposed to be.

Who was behind it this time? Naraku would be the answer, which Kagome was sure of. He was always trying to take her shards, but this time she had managed to weave a spell that would protect them, at least for a while. Kaede had helped, doing research and asking her connections to also see if they could find some information.

Oh no, Kagome wouldn't go down easily.

* * *

So, you understand what makes me happy, right? Reviews.

Review...I took the time to edit and rewrite it, you can just send me a few sentences, or even just a few words.


	2. Shade Two

Continuing my re-posting of Dark Lineage. Obviously, it goes without saying that if you find mistakes, ya tell me.

* * *

**Dark Lineage**

**Chapter Two**

At the moment, he was on his way on foot with Kikyo on his back, and Kirara following while carrying Sango, Shippo, and Miroku. Even at the rate that they were traveling, it would still take at least two days before they could reach their destination. When they finally stopped to make camp, it was a disheartened group that sat down to dinner.

Shippo was silent as he ate the food that Miroku had tried to cook. Eating the disgusting mess just reminded him more of Kagome...and Kikyo. He wasn't quite sure of his opinion of Kikyo; she had been so evil to them in all their encounters, but she seemed decent now. Finally, loyalty to Kagome made him decide not to like her.

Inuyasha was in a mess. Having Kikyo around had never been a good idea. Having her around for a few days was a terrible idea. There was no choice this time, but he hoped to get her out of the way before they went to Kagome. Just thinking about what would happen made him shiver. Kagome could get violent.

Sango and Miroku were silent, watching Kikyo and Inuyasha, and the sparks flying in between. They knew exactly what was happening, and why. How to stop it, that they didn't know.

* * *

I surveyed the scene with grim satisfaction. Everyone was worried about our 'love triangle', but I was not worried. I just had to win Inuyasha over to me again. That would be simple enough, seeing as I had knocked him over 50 years ago with ease. There hadn't been much competition then, and there wasn't much competition now.

I glided over to the edge of our campsite and looked back once, unable to hide my look of power. That proved to be one of my mistakes, for the little pest Shippo caught my glance, and pointed it out to Sango, who then fixed me with a killer gaze. However, it was of little consequence, my goal had been accomplished. Inuyasha followed.

"Inuyasha, my love, is this truly what you wish to do? I believe that it would be best if we left Kagome to her fate." I started out, realizing too late what it would sound like.

"Kikyo, you are not who you once were. I cannot explain to someone without a heart. Even if it were not so, Kagome has my shards." My aura began to infiltrate his defenses, appealing to his greed. Inuyasha must have sensed it, he started back.

I knew that nothing I said could right what I had just uttered, so I watched him go, and meditated more.

* * *

The Roc finally landed on a steep, rocky cliff and waddled into what seemed to be a depression in the face of the cliff. It was not quite a crater, but more of a pit, like you would line with stakes.

"Let go of me, you idiot!" screamed Kagome. Did the bird understand? Well, if it did, it didn't reply.

In fact, it brought her straight to a great hall), and set her down none too gently on the floor in front of a large chair. She brushed herself off, and checked for bruises, not bothering to examine her surrounding more closely.

"I trust you've had a pleasant trip here, Kagome?" asked a silky voice.

She looked up.

Naraku sat in the ornate chair, wearing a smug expression. From behind him, Kagura and another beautiful demon materialized. The three people stared at her, measuring her up.

"What the hell do you want?! You know that Inuyasha will be looking for me. He does care." Said Kagome defiantly, a bit unnerved by the attention.

Naraku laughed, and motioned for the unknown demon to come forth. She had dark yellow hair, and tanned, even skin with fanned facial markings along her jawbone. Her eyes were a dark green, and thin red lines ran across the irises. Her hair was bound in two braided pigtails, that managed not to look childish, and rather, elegant.

"Kagome, I am Tesake. I am a psychic demon. Kanna has been merged with a new energy, and you get me. I can only speak the truth, or my powers fade. Look into my mirror." Finishing, she gestured with her hands, and a bright, cloudy mirror appeared. "Look into the mirror Kagome."

Kagome knew that there were many reasons not to, but she did anyways. Tesake had a ring of truth in her voice.

Inuyasha was sleeping in his usual position, leaning against a tree. The sight broadened to include Sango and Miroku leaning against Kirara, and Shippo looking up at the moon. Finally she saw...

...Kikyo. Sleeping within 2 feet of Inuyasha, relaxed and certain. Even in her sleep, she seemed to be mocking Kagome.

Kagura spoke up coolly.

"He enlisted her help shortly after your disappearance. He has decided that she can travel with them, to complete their many missions. Of course, the first would be the unnecessary task of getting you back. I don't see the point of that, Kikyo can do everything you can, and better. What do you say to that, Kagome? Still sure of everything?"

Kagome was speechless.

She didn't know what to think as she stood in surprise and anger when Kikyo showed up in the mirror. Naraku could have deceived her with this, but she wouldn't put it past Inuyasha and Kikyo to get together like this in her absence.

"How do I know that you are showing me the truth?" she demanded weakly.

Naraku sighed in exasperation.

"Of course you don't!" he said in a matter-of-fact way. "To prove it to your doubting heart, I'll take you there later, or some other time. For now, make yourself comfortable here. Nothing is going to happen until your rescue party comes."

Tesake said, "I'll show you to your room. They won't be here for a few days, so you'll have a nice room."

That simple comment made Kagome's face turn red (with anger). Kikyo was going to be with Inuyasha for THAT long?! She didn't stop to consider that Inuyasha might not like the arrangements, or that it might not be true. She could only think of Kikyo's presence, and what could happen.

* * *

Soon after Kagome had checked the contents of her bag for the fourth time in boredom, Kagura appeared at her door. She was there to bring Naraku's proposal.

"My master, Naraku, wished to give you an offer that will be very advantageous for you. What it all means is that should you ever want, or need help to fight against Kikyo (and possibly Inuyasha), you may depend on my master and his reincarnations." She stated monotonously, face clearly showing that she disagreed with his 'generous' offer.

"No, I do not need your help, nor want it, for although I do not like Kikyo for all that she has done, I do not wish for her to die, as that would break Inuyasha's heart again. He cannot stand another time." Replied Kagome passionately, her words forming a speech. Her love for Inuyasha was all that stood in the way of saying yes. She didn't know who she hated more, Kikyo or Naraku.

Kaugra scowled and said, "He said that you would refuse now, but to tell you that the door is always open."

Hours after Kaugra had left; she was summoned to eat dinner. The only people present were Naraku, Kaugra, Tesake, and a stranger, handsome demon.

Naraku stood up when she entered, and welcomed her. Before he began eating, he shed the baboon pelt, revealing the face of the young lord that he had taken so long ago.

He noticed Kagome staring at him, and said, "I do relish my trademark, but it is good to have changes occasionally, is it not?"

Kagome blushed, and went back to wolfing down the food. As she trudged through the rice, she wondered if she was seeing another side of Naraku, or was it just another mask placed to gain her trust? He seemed so nice. Was it possible to fake it?

* * *

Inuyasha woke up to see that Kikyo had inched closer to him in their sleep. He frowned, and thought of when she had held a knife to his heart. He couldn't believe that she would do it then, he couldn't now.

Many souls drifted near, and Kikyo woke.

"Inuyasha, I have gathered these souls to power a task that I am undertaking to get us closer to the cliffs of the Rocs." After she had explained, Kikyo marched off to a secluded corner of the camp and started working her powers. Bright lights lit up the camp, and Kikyo shrilly chanted some mantras, furiously waving her hands.

Inuyasha drifted away from the site as the rest woke up.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice the distinct scent of a much-hated 'enemy' until he stopped right in front of him (in front of Inuyasha).

"You crazy mutt! Anyone could take my Kagome while you stroll around daydreaming! Not saying she's unable to care for herself, but I cannot believe you would place my love in such danger. I must attend to her, or else I would stop to fight with you."

Kouga screamed at Inuyasha as he dashed back towards the camp.

He burst into the camp later, a panting Inuyasha behind him, and asked loudly, "Where's my Kagome?!"

His eyes lit up when he saw Kikyo, not seeming to see that her clothing was different.

"Kagome, my woman, you are safe!" he said, running to clasp her hand. Kikyo looked at him disdainfully and released a short blast of purity.

Kouga yelped and leapt back, holding his hand and the scorched remains of his arm coverings.

"Kagome, why have you done this?"

"Kouga, get away from Kikyo!" yelled Inuyasha, jumping to land in front of the miko protectively. Kouga jumped, and looked closer at the person in question.

Then, when he confirmed that it was really not Kagome, he burst out,

"What the hell?! I can't trust you bastards with anything! Where is she?!"

"She is at the Cliffs of the Rocs." Answered Kikyo calmly.

Kouga looked confused, frustrated, and ready to pound something.

"How could you let that messed up bastard take her?" Kouga growled.

"You know that Naraku rules them?" asked Sango.

"Of course. Everyone does, the news was all over the wind since a few weeks ago. Where's your nose, mutt?! Or, more importantly, where's my woman exactly? What's the island?"

Everyone froze and glanced at Inuyasha. When they saw that his face was red, they quickly got back to their work.

"YOU. DO. NOT. HAVE. A WOMAN. AND. NEITHER. DO. I." Said Inuyasha from in between his gritted teeth. "You better leave. We'll rescue Kagome just fine by ourselves."

"Yes, I do have a woman, and don't forget her name is Kagome."

"She is not your woman."

"She is my woman, you've got your bitch right here!" yelled Kouga, losing patience with the thick head of Inuyasha. It was clear that they each had their own mates, but Inuyasha just couldn't leave him and Kagome alone.

Shippo bounded over to Koga, and looked up with puppy-dog (or maybe fox?) eyes, and begged, "Please come with us Koga! If Naraku's got her, than we need all the help we can get!"

Koga pretended to consider the idea, and then quickly agreed. (I know that Koga's an airhead, but he does have to have SOME sense, right?)

Inuyasha bounded over to Shippo, and prepared to start pounding him, but strangely enough, Koga protected him. Inuyasha turned on him willingly.

The ensuing fight was long, although not very whole-hearted. Kikyo readied her bow, although she knew that it would have no positive effect.

Kouga would be coming with them.

* * *

Kagome woke up suddenly, unsettled in a strange, unfamiliar place. She clutched her bow to her chest and waited. Another insistent knock came through, that was what had woken her before. Before she could say anything, the door opened.

Tesake stepped into the room cheerily with a demon behind her.

"Good morning, Kagome. This is my brother Tetsaki. Naraku ordered us to teach you how to use the katana today. Get up!" Tetsaki bowed, and presented a long sword, simply decorated.

Kagome blinked and got up obediently. Why would Naraku want them to teach her the means of using another weapon? There was something hidden here, and her senses were dulled. They all seemed too trustworthy to be who they were.

Hair in a ponytail, she grasped the sword gingerly. Swords were typically not the best weapon for a person with no muscle, and Kagome was one of the unfortunate ones. Close-range involved quick reflexes, strong defenses, and a strategic mind, to take advantages of openings when given.

"No, you must hold it like this. Unsheathe it a few times." Tetsaki began the lesson quickly. He had flowing yellow hair, with barely noticeable streaks of white highlighting several sections. For combat, he tied a section around the rest with a loose knot. His eyes were dark green, black rings giving him a hypnotized look. His facial markings ran along the corners of his eyes, giving contrast to his dark skin.

Kagome thought that both he and Tesake looked very strange, the colors of their bodies not quite matching with the rest, but she stayed silent.

"We will rest now."

Kagome glanced over at the demon, who was gazing stonily out the jagged window.

"What kind of demon are you?" she asked.

"Spirit mongoose." He replied, irritation coloring his voice. Kagome realized that it was a touchy subject, and stayed silent afterwards. She turned slightly so she could examine him some more, without being too obvious. His head was always regally carried, tilted up and serene. But there was a sad look too, in his eyes, as if he had been hurt and never really healed.

Suddenly, he turned his head, and the sad look disappeared. Instead, there was a faint touch of anger, and a bit of hate. Kagome started, and wondered if it had to do with the way she looked. Everything had to do with the way she looked, and it wasn't from a vanity standpoint.

* * *

Review my dearies. or, email me at peacelovingwarrior yahoo. com


	3. Shade Three

Not really following my intended schedule, as I have noticed. But you can expect chapter 4 to come out a little later than I planned. It's giving me writer's block, and where I began rewriting doesn't really fit with what was already there, so you see my dilemma.

Disclaimer: Don't own the hanyou and co.

* * *

**Dark Lineage**

**Chapter Three**

Four days had passed since Kagome had been kidnapped, and her rescuers now stood on the edge of the Cliffs of the Rocs. The journey to had been very uncomfortable, though never quiet. Kouga and Inuyasha were always arguing over Kagome, Kikyo, the world, each other, and battling styles. Kikyo always stayed next to Inuyasha, where Sango could not reach her.

All were silent now as they gazed across the clear water to the distant island. It was peaceful, and not the sort of place where fighting would occur at all. This illusion would have been shattered had they taken a closer look at the water, where mystic shapes circled around. Predators, waiting for the ensuing battle, where they would feast for sure.

They weren't silent for long.

"What a great place for my Kagome to be rescued from!" said Kouga gleefully, a little out of place in the serene settings.

"How many time do I have to tell you?! Kagome is not your woman!" Inuyasha shot back very angrily. Such a sore subject!

By now, Kouga was tired of arguing with Inuyasha, so he chose not to reply. All he wanted was to see Kagome again WITHOUT the mutt chaperoning them. She might have feelings for him, after all, that were contained only by her generosity with Inuyasha's feelings.

Kikyo moved up to the edge of the cliff, and reminisced about her fall off a cliff before. However, while she had no intention to fall again, Sango felt very much like pushing her, and so moved behind her. She didn't know what to do after she got there, but...

Kikyo's hair streamed back into Sango's face with the wind. Blowing strands of hair out of her mouth with a grimace, Sango tried to see if she could still get a handle on Kikyo, but the miko turned, foiling her plans.

"Inuyasha, how will we get all the way over there?" Shippo asked worriedly. He could see no path available for them. After all, he could just change into a cloud, and that could carry only himself. He had no intention of venturing into unknown territory by himself. No matter what puffed up ideas he held of himself, he knew that in reality he was a very weak kitsune.

Miroku meditated as Inuyasha struggled to answer. He knew that somewhere, he had heard something very important about the Cliffs of the Rocs that would inevitably be needed.

"Easy Shippo dear, I will help all of you across with the use of my soul collectors. They can easily get all of us across at the same time, and in good time." Kikyo said disdainfully with an idle wave of the hand.

Everyone jolted when they heard the sickly sweet voice that Kikyo used. It was the reason why she spoke that way.

"Okay then, Kikyo, let's go!" said Inuyasha impatiently, confident in his former love.

Kikyo immediately concentrated, and a swarm of the lizards appeared, and wrapped themselves around everyone except for Miroku. His status as a monk was preventing their 'help'. They circled around him, not trying to penetrate his natural defenses.

"We'll just have to leave you behind, Miroku." Said Inuyasha ruthlessly, only thinking of Kagome who was waiting ahead. He was still thinking of rushing in magnificently, astounding her again with how much he cared for her.

They started rising in the air, and towards the ominous islands. Kikyo motioned that they best not speak; the unearthly silence in the air shouldn't be broken now that they were over the water. It was proceeding quite smoothly.

That is, they were until several tentacles shot up from beneath the waves and grasped all of them firmly by the arms and legs. Kouga struggled, the shards in his legs powering his kicks. He stopped his efforts when he realized that if they did let go, he would fall right into the rest anyway.

Miroku gasped in a moment of understanding. He remembered. Too late, honey.

"Octopuses also reside near the cliffs. They are predators, and you've been caught." Miroku said, almost smirking. This is what they get for leaving him behind.

Shippo yelled piercing all hearing organs unmercifully as the suckers began their work, digging extra tendrils into his skin and dragging him down to the water. The process was slow, almost as if the sea creatures were unable to move fast.

This spurred Miroku into action. He quickly began chanting and flung scrolls at the appendages. They released at their own pace, as if telling him that their power was also great. Miroku was sweating by the time they got back to shore. Kikyo was paler than usual, her serenity shattered by the ordeal.

* * *

Kagome woke up, sore as usual from her practices. She hated how weak she was. Tetsaki had been the one originally to train her, but when she got knocked around even when he was barely trying; Tesake had decided to take over. She was also barely trying, but Kagome was beginning to think that the katana wasn't for her. But this wasn't the only thing occupying her mind.

What was she supposed to think? Naraku had proved to be a dangerous foe over and over again. But now... he was acting like a gentleman for once, and one without any schemes. He actually fit in with his reincarnations, and while his relationship with Kagura wasn't that good, Tesake seemed to love him. And her brother with his light yet dark looks...well, he seemed to be made of ice. Was this all an illusion?

'And I bet that you would love to melt him, wouldn't you?' a voice piped up from nowhere.

Kagome blushed furiously, and then shut it out. She had Inuyasha, didn't she? He cared about her, even if Kikyo did meddle ever once in a while. Thinking about Kikyo made her frown with anger. (The main reason why she feels fine is partially because Naraku has constructed an aura around his places to lower the guard, and release the inner evil, and partially because her heart, as I said, is growing darker.)

A knock on her door jolted her out of her dark thoughts. Kagome went to answer it, and was surprised to see Naraku. Usually Tesake or Tetsaki came in the morning to rouse her from her slumber.

"Kagome how was your night?" Naraku asked politely.

"It was fine, thank you. Why are you here today? I usually don't see you until the mealtimes." Kagome replied, a trifle bewildered, caught off-guard.

"Your friends are here. I assume that they will cross over in approximately 5 and a half hours. I shall be leaving soon, as well as Tesake, Tetsaki, and Kasikie. Kagura will stay behind and...clean things up for us. Be prepared."

Naraku bowed sarcastically, and tossed a puppet into the room behind her. It didn't activate yet, but began moving through the walls to wherever its destination was. It left quickly, leaving Kagome alone with her thoughts yet again.

Inuyasha was going to rescue her. Strangely, she wasn't as happy about it as she would have been a few days ago. Too late, she realized that she didn't know who Kasikie was.

* * *

Having realized that the way to cross was hindered by many obstacles, the group was hard pressed to find a solution. When the Rocs began to circle overhead, Sango said,

"Wouldn't the Rocs have some sort of alliance with the Krakens? They are able to pass back and forth with no harm."

Having finally the lead they needed to begin their crossing, the minds began working with a new craze. As the birds descended, all snapped to the best solution. Kirara changed and ran upwards, trying to herd them down to the waiting passengers. Showing none of their beforehand shrewdness, all willingly dove down at steep angles.

Inuyasha let out one long sweep of the Tetsusaiga, making them shy away strategically. Each person or people grabbed the feet of a roc. The birds struggled, but Kikyo's soul collectors entwined themselves around the necks of the birds. Tightening so slightly, the breathing grew labored.

With the hint of death in a dishonorable way, the birds immediately behaved. (While their intelligence was great compared to that of ordinary animals, the concept of honor was blown up, much more so than the traditional warriors. Seppuku, the honorable suicide, was the preferred way to go, or in battle. Strangling in this strange culture of birds was the worst, reminding them of their weakened forms when humans snapped their necks like twigs, supper ready in seconds.)

The serpentine creatures pointed the rocs in the right direction, and krakens did not raise their arms. Landing successfully, they formatted a quick plan that basically just involved rushing in at the same time and trying to head for Kagome, using Kikyo's miko powers. It sounded as if Kouga had made the whole thing up, but in reality, there really wasn't anything else. Plans of complexity worked when there were many variables to work with. Here, there were few.

* * *

Kagome packed up her backpack and headed to the door. Before she got there, however, Tetsaki and Tesake burst in and barricaded the door with anything and everything available. Tetsaki's usually neat blonde hair was disheveled, and in places streaked with blood.

"What's wrong?!" Kagome shouted in panic.

Tesake puffed gently with a weak smile, "Naraku underestimated the loyalty of the Krakens. He's battling now, even as your friends are. We are supposed to guard you with our lives until your friends come, but it goes without saying that it's better off if they don't know of what sort of relationship we have. It might throw the hanyou off."

They each bore several other minor wounds, but Kagome wasn't too worried about that. Demons could heal themselves quickly.

She was worried about how her friends would react, and surprisingly, when she confronted the little shadow in the corner of her mind, Kagura. The demon had caused no end of trouble for her, and had slaughtered Kouga's people.

"Where's Kagura?" she asked hesitantly. Tetsaki replied shortly, eyes still on the heaving door,

"We believe her to be dead, and if not, near it. Last I saw, she was in a mass of those tentacle things, wind not doing much good."

Tesake glanced at Kagome, and pretended not to see the shock plastered on her features. The wind sorceress had been a formidable opponent in the past; it was hard to imagine the demon having trouble with monsters. She began to wander to the stone niche which served as a window.

Tesake grabbed her quickly and shook her hard. Now wasn't the time for foolishness, or mourning for a comrade-if you could call Kagura a comrade to Kagome.

Kagome looked up into Tesake's face. All of her previous impulses had retreated, in its place, perfect logic and watery eyes.

"Kagome, do you have any spells to ward them off? Or something that will enable us to get out without being seen?" asked Tesake urgently, forming her mirror again.

Kagome gulped down her tears, and thought. Before she settled on her repertoire of spells and wards, she asked the question that had been bothering her for a while.

"Why do you have a mirror? Kanna was the one with the mirror of souls the last time we met Naraku."

Tesake looked annoyed, but took the time to answer. She also materialized her mirror.

"Kanna's visions were becoming less accurate, so Naraku fused her with her mirror to give it more powers and brought me to life to control it. There's some more complications in that, but that's all you need to answer your question. Kanna is still alive, in a sense, and her flower here is basically her gate to this world." Satisfied, Kagome continued on her search for a proper spell.

"No, I don't think so. We'll have to fight." She said grimly.

Wordlessly, she readied her bow and arrows, as Tetsaki drew his sword and Tesake modified some extensions of her mirror, and broke them off as weapons.

The door was knocked down, and a glob of arms began inching its way in.

* * *

Inuyasha made short work of the arms grabbing him, but more replaced them. Kikyo's arrows seemed to be the only thing doing permanent damage, until a bright violet flash disintegrated the rest. The current attack seemed more vicious and organized than the loose one before. It was also dangerous, as they were far from any land.

The space that had appeared when the flash came quickly filled in. Sango's boomerang made calamari, but while they stopped moving, they stayed stiff. She quickly decided to use her swords instead when she nearly lost her weapon.

Miroku had opened his wind tunnel, after futile praying had done limited damage. The birds shook in the violent winds, but steadied and kept going for the craggy island. Now that they were closer, they could see the heads of two krakens slowly moving up the rock, its many arms extended up and into the cavern before it.

Suddenly, another struck out from below, and missed the group only by a little.

Everyone was recovering from the shock. Finally, Inuyasha punched his bird in frustration and practically screamed, "How the hell are we going to get her if there are all these suckers around the damn island!"

Shippo started crying, much to the irritation of Kikyo, who was on the same bird. She considered slapping the kitsune, but decided that it would lower herself more in the eyes of the audience she was sure to have.

A force began drawing them closer, to a spot at the top of the spire that seemed to be an entrance.

The rocs were only too happy to let their passengers off, and immediately began attacking the face of the rock. It was too late to do any damage, and their prey scuttled deep into the fortress. All ready for an attack, none were surprised by the first of Naraku's puppets. Kouga put all of his heart behind his attack, even while knowing that the puppet was not the actual one responsible.

It was not as hard as usual.

Kagome, meanwhile, was pushing out of the cramped room, fighting with the two demons at her back. Her sacred arrows were the only thing clearing the tentacles out, for once they died, they didn't necessarily clear out. All three would have suffocated if not for the blast of miko power that came again and again, disintegrating the obstacles.

The two factors attacking unknowingly pushed their way closer to each other, Kagome's group trying to get to the top; Inuyasha's trying to get to Kagome. The whereabouts of Naraku were unknown, but it could be surmised that he, too, was struggling.

After cutting one particularly thick tentacle, Inuyasha came face to face with the eye of a Kraken. He didn't have any idea how it managed to pull its body up so high, but it was there. It blinked several times, and a thick purple liquid began leaking out of the corner of the lid. It continued to expand, and took the form of a faceless woman. She raised her arms, and black blades shot out of the wrists. Inuyasha didn't wait for her weapons to fully form, and charged at her.

The purple globs drew back together, proving her to be one of those almost invincible types. Cursing, Inuyasha decided that the best way was just to trap it somewhere so that he could get to Kagome. Ducking behind and jumping over some rocks, he abandoned Sango and Miroku, and kept running till he thought the goo had been lost.

Kouga had also encountered another made of black stone. She was relentless in her pursuit, and he couldn't get near enough to Miroku to make use of his wind tunnel, which he was employing with various degrees of success. He saw the flash of Inuyasha's mane, and followed. His goal was Kagome, and much as he hated to admit it, it was the same as Inuyasha's.

Inuyasha inhaled deeply once.

He caught Kagome's scent.

At the time, Kagome weakly leaned against Tesake, who gingerly supported her with one arm, the other slashing randomly at the pulsing masses all around them. Kagome straightened, and readied for another blast of pure energy. These were the most effective, but took a more direct toll on her strength.

She fell. Something had jarred Tesake's firm hold. But someone had caught her again. Inhaling deeply, she smelled the putrid odor of the enemy, and something...natural, but still nice. Although the air was tinged with the metallic odor of blood, it still stood out.

She forced her eyes to open. Slowly, her lids opened. Tetsaki gazed back down at her. She scrambled out of his grasp, and just in time, as Inuyasha jumped through a gap and landed in front of them. The last thing she saw was Tetsaki looking away with an unreadable expression and Inuyasha's worried one closing in. She caught a flash of black hair over Inuyasha's shoulder, but blurred before being able to identify the face.

He caught her just as she began to stagger again.

* * *

Kagome woke up to the sound of Shippo fake crying as Inuyasha repeatedly punched him in the head. He tried unsuccessfully to escape.

Miroku had kept Sango occupied, by constantly turning her attention to slapping him.

Kagome would have just faded back into the peaceful blackness, but then Inuyasha said something under his breath. Her ears barely caught it.

"Kikyo, you left too soon this time."

"Sit...boy." She murmured out of habit. The tears had already begun to slide down her face and into the ground afterwards. "Sit boy, sit, and sit...sit...." She would have continued had the darkness had already begun to claim her again.

Inuyasha crashed to the ground repeatedly. The subduing spell had caught the attention of Miroku and Sango, and they looked over at Kagome. She didn't look guilty now, just sad and tired. Her face was peaceful, but her fist clenched several times and a faint outline of blue surrounded her.

They both looked at the hanyou.

"What did I do this time?!" yelled Inuyasha, fed up with treading lightly around both Kagome and Kikyo. They weren't the only ones with feelings.

* * *

The end of this one, yup. I'm not in the habit of doing previews, so you don't have to expect that.

Just wanna thank again for the QuickEdit 2.0. Can't say it made my life easier, but it's cool.

Review!


	4. Shade Four

I have decided to change the 'chapters' to 'shades'. Being as I'm too lazy to change my already existing chapters now, it'll just continue from this one on. Actually, I think it'll help. Example; if you're scrolling to see the existing chapters, you'll know that the ones titled 'Shades' are the ones that have been replaced.

Enjoy-and review.

* * *

**Dark Lineage**

**Shade Four**

'_Oh I can't face Inuyasha yet, but he can't possibly make me feel any worse than I do already. Ha...I'm getting up. I just wish I could remember what I made Inuyasha sit for.'_

Shippo jumped into her arms, laughing with happiness. She grunted a bit with pain and surprise, but returned the hug just as affectionately. Sango knelt down next to her, her boomerang awkwardly slanting behind her.

"Nice to have you back, Kagome. Now we can finally get going, and the lecher will behave himself." She smiled, prompting a forced one from Kagome also. She struggled to stand up, but decided that it was best to stay on the ground when she saw the dark bruises on her legs.

"So, what happened?" She asked casually, gingerly touching one long streak. It throbbed, sending waves of heat up her finger and pain throughout her body. "It'll be nice to know why I got beat up when I had Inuyasha with me."

Inuyasha flushed, and muttered,

"I would've killed those demons."

"No, you wouldn't have." Kagome shot, making Inuyasha draw back in surprise. "They were kind to me."

"Kagome, just because they were nice doesn't mean that they mean well. You of all people should know how deceiving looks and acts can be." Reprieved Miroku sternly, troubled by the suddenly trusting Kagome.

"Whatever. Tetsaki taught me how to fight with the katana." She answered sullenly, trying to heal her injuries. Her blue light flashed a few times, but didn't heal her legs like she wanted them to. "What else happened?"

"After you fell asleep again, I put you on my back. I dunno how you stayed, but hey, it was okay I guess. That male demon just stared at me for a bit, especially this crappy rosary here. Then, he used a lot of youki and blew a tunnel straight through all that monster shit." Inuyasha hesitated, and decided to skip the part where he had tried to fight Tetsaki, and Kouga had restrained him, yelling all the while about how not every demon was worth fighting. The wolf demon had added a degrading comment about his hanyou lineage to the mix, but he had basically told him that Tetsaki was far stronger than both Inuyasha and himself. He had also nearly exploded Inuyasha's sensitive ears while going on about Tetsaki being good for protecting, as he said it, his woman.

"I would have stayed and gotten the truth, but the one with the mirror sent me through with some wall pushing me. The bastard just didn't want to face me head on."

"Inuyasha, you're leaving something out. But I don't care, because that's all I wanted to know. What happened to Tetsaki and Tesake?" asked Kagome impatiently, carefully concealing her knowledge of Kikyo.

"How the hell would I know?"

Sango cut in quickly, moving her body slightly to shield them from each other.

"The tunnel led directly to us. When we saw that he had you, um...the....tunnel also led outside. Yeah, it blew a hole in the side of the rock so we just went out." Sango paused, searching for a plausible alternative to what had really happened. "Kirara managed to hold all of us and we barely made shore here."

Kagome raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sure. She held 5 people and a heavy backpack." It had been done before, but there was a missing link in their stories.

Shippo barely caught himself from correcting her, that there were 7 people, and the soul collectors had carried three of them. Miroku caught the flicker of expression over the kitsune's face and shook his head slightly in warning. Luckily, Kagome didn't see the exchange of messages.

"Ha." She snorted, and a wave of light covered her. Kagome wasn't surprised by the quick healing; she'd learned that whenever her emotions got in the way her powers would manifest themselves conveniently. It only healed her minor wounds and sped up the recovery of the major one in her side. It was at the same place as where the jewel had been before. Inuyasha turned away, not responding to how similar to Kikyo she had looked, with her power lifting her hair and giving her face a peaceful glow. That look wasn't present on either of his mikos too much anymore.

"Miroku, Inuyasha, care to add some more to that?" she asked sadly, slowly getting up and going over to Kirara.

Miroku knew to keep his mouth shut; he hadn't planned any story with the others, which they should have. Inuyasha wanted to make things right, but the truth wouldn't have helped so he shook his head also.

Kagome closed her eyes and said softly,

"Somehow I expected that. I will find out what happened. You aren't good liars, and Tetsaki wouldn't just stand by, I know he wouldn't." Refusing to let her emotions speak too much about her attractive captor, she murmured to Kirara to take her back to the well, please.

'_I am not a child. I can be told the truth, even if it does involve that stinking corpse he insists on staying with. I know already, and they know I know. Why can't we all just be honest with each other...'_

Unnerved by where she was going, she quickly cleared her mind and concentrated on the fresh air of the clean morning.

* * *

She had gone home, and come back again. She had stayed for a week, a longer time than the usual two or three days. And when she returned, Inuyasha had not given her a second glance, only grunting to acknowledge her. The others had made up for it wonderfully, but it didn't help. Inuyasha was the one she wanted.

Refusing to begin searching unless she asked her nicely, and with him brooding over Kikyo and who knew what else, they made no progress for a few days.

And so, they had stayed put in the village for all this time. Kagome had not dared to tell her mother, or even Sango of what had happened at the fortress. How would she explain her actions? How could she explain the nightmares that no one had witnessed? How could she explain her sudden, compulsive attractions both to their fated enemy, Naraku, and his incarnation?

"Kagome, what are you doing?" asked Shippo. He was the only one undisturbed by the hidden currents around them. Kagome had been lying on the bank of the river, trailing her fingers. She had astounded herself with her agility, catching several fast minnows easily.

Kagome turned over, forced a smile onto her face, and said, "Nothing. Maybe you should tell Inuyasha that we should get going."

"NO WAY!" shouted Shippo, turning into his puffball form in agitation. "Have you seen him? My head starts to hurt whenever I even THINK about asking him."

She sighed, and muttered, "I suppose it's time to have a confrontation," as she got up, dusting off her legs. Shippo floated to the other side of the river, and ran into the trees, laughing maniacally.

* * *

"Inuyasha?" Kagome crept into the house. Inuyasha was sitting against a wall, staring into space, as usual. He didn't always stay at Kaede's hut, sometimes resting in the branches of larger trees. He also did not respond when she spoke.

"I really think we should get going. Every day we waste, the more shards Na-naraku is going to get."

He peered at her when she stumbled on Naraku's name, then wordlessly stood up.

"I'll get Miroku." He said emotionlessly, and moved to brush aside the covering.

"Sit." Kagome commanded sadly. If this is what it would take, then so be it. He would not ignore her any longer. It would be best if she got it over with now.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" Inuyasha yelled/screamed uncharacteristically, picking his head up from the deep hole that had been made right outside Kaede's home.

"What do you think?! You've barely looked at me since we met up again at those Cliffs. I know Kikyo was with you, you can't hide it. You can't lie to me forever, why can't we have a little honesty? If you choose her, then tell me so I can stop fooling myself!" she yelled back, tears beginning to fall. Her emotions were displayed clearly on her face.

Inuyasha paused, stricken with the outburst. He had always suspected that his love for both was returned by at least one, but he had never expected Kagome to be the first to restate it. He opened his mouth after standing up, but couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't make him feel like a fool, especially if she had just blurted it out.

Kagome shoved past him, out of the hut, and headed to the edge of the village where she had put her backpack.

"Koga would be better than him, he didn't make me cry." Kagome muttered as she shoved things back into her backpack.

Sango started towards her, but when she saw her face, she quickly backed away, sensing her friend's need to be alone.

* * *

"Naraku, you didn't warn us." Stated Tetsaki flatly. He was bandaging his wounds, which while minor seeming, had been poisoned, thereby the need for the antidote to be applied to the bandages.

Naraku laughed evilly, than said quite calmly, "You should have learned from Kagura. Besides, it was necessary that they become confused. Those krakens had orders to attack you for real, and they paid from your swordsmanship. You're just lucky that that wolf demon managed to restrain Inuyasha, a blow from the Tetsusaiga and you would barely be alive. And, my emblem would be visible. While that may be advantageous, it isn't what I want to happen at the moment."

"Not only that, you bastard, where's Kagura?!" asked Tesake shrilly, jerking at the bandages, which only created more pain for herself.

"She'll be safe. I hold her heart. You must get ready; Kagome will be heading this way soon." He responded carelessly.

Tesake's eyes flashed, carefully controlled.

"What do you have planned for her? I can't guess myself, you've always known that the many plans you have surround the greater one only. You have to confide in someone! I cannot to this to her, we share a bond already."

Naraku sighed, and reminded her, "That's one of the weaknesses of the spirit and psychic demons, always bonding with the victims. You will see." He took the chance to provoke both subordinates, delighting in their anger.

* * *

Inuyasha stared after Kagome long after she had left. How did she know? A month ago, she wouldn't have thought of it, she's too kind-hearted to think that. She could have guessed, or did he slip up somewhere? He remembered the 'sit' that had come out of nowhere. It didn't seem to come from the unconscious Kagome, but it had to have. Now that he went over that time, he did say something about Kikyo...

What did Kagura say that night?

"_Inuyasha."_

_He turned; his sword half-out. Kagura stood before him with a mocking smile playing about her lips. It began disappearing as she continued with her message._

"_How is your beloved Kikyo doing? Much better than Kagome, isn't she? Much prettier, more powerful, what is less? At this rate, you'll be seeing more of her than Kagome. You know, her heart is getting darker every time you see Kikyo. There will be consequences. You had best see to what you truly want." She finished with a scowl, and summoned her feather, flying off._

What did that mean? It was obviously not something that he wanted to happen. He went to ask Kaede.

"Old hag, what does it mean when someone's heart is getting darker?!" he demanded after he landed heavily on the fence. It strained under the sudden weight and threatened to snap. In the back of his mind, he the hanyou prepared to leap off if that should happen.

Kaede slowly looked up from her weeds and said,

"It means that their emotions are getting more negative, and there is more sadness or anger present than happiness, or perhaps you are asking of love?" she paused, then went on,

"Why do you ask?"

"No reason, I just heard it somewhere." Inuyasha answered in partial relief. This may be the answer to Kagome's behavior. Maybe she hadn't meant what she said; it could be that she was just in a unsteady mood.

But if that wasn't going to be the answer, then what was?

Taking a chance, he ran back to where he had last seen Kagome. She wasn't there, but her scent was strong on the air, telling him that she was close nearby.

"I'm ready to go, you guys." He called out cautiously.

The birds tittered at him as Kagome rounded the corner and venomously glared. He started, annoyed that he hadn't heard her coming.

"I've been ready for the past 15 minutes. What about you?! You don't know how to prepare in a short amount of time? You didn't do anything for the entire time that I was away?!" she demanded angrily.

"Feh. This makes up for all the times that I've had to wait for you, shard-detector." He growled back mindlessly.

"Sit." She said calmly, swinging her backpack onto her back.

Kagome biked away with Sango, Shippo, and Miroku. They looked back often, but Inuyasha stayed still. Every time he tried to get up, Kagome would mutter 'sit' under her breath. His crater grew deeper and deeper. When the effects of the 'osuwari' spell wore off, he stayed for a few more minutes just to regain his mind. The villagers crowded around, gossiping about what the hanyou must have done this time.

* * *

A figure, draped in blood and gore, rose from the mess of bodies-or rather, limbs. Its clothing was torn, stained, and ripped beyond repair. Slowly, staggering as it rose, the head came up. Red eyes narrowed painstakingly.

Licking her lips, the demon tried to smile.

"I am free you bastard. Free from you." She fell again, but this time with hope, knowing that she would survive, and would be the stronger for it.

She would survive, and work against her former master. Thwarting the very plans she had help create would be a pleasure.

Kagura, the Wind Sorceress no more.

Kagura, the Independent was born.

* * *

"I want you to appear to Kagome, Tesake. Make her less innocent faster. There is too much to be done, I can't waste any more time. Do what you deem necessary, even arrange meetings between Inuyasha and Kikyo if need be. I need Kikyo in the group and Kagome out for half of my intentions to follow through." Naraku ordered in a clipped tone. Evidently, things were moving to slowly for him. He turned to Tetsaki and said,

"And as for you, you are to ignore her. I have no doubt that she will become attached to you, and I need her to fall for someone else."

His face impassive, Tetsaki nodded. You couldn't tell what he was thinking, but it was to be assumed that it was less than friendly.

* * *

Inuyasha walked defiantly alongside Miroku, daring him to say something. Shippo took the chance and asked sweetly, "Do you think dirt has any nutritional value, Inuyasha? 'Cause if it does, you must be the healthiest thing ever." He leapt aside nimbly, but was too slow.

Sporting several red bumps on his head, he yelled loudly, "Inuyasha eats dirt; Inuyasha loves the dirt 'cause Kagome tells him to love the dirt!" Inuyasha made a grab for him again, but lost.

Kagome looked back at the struggling pair.

"Shippo, come here."

The kitsune safe in the miko's arms, several hours passed buy without much else happening. In the late afternoon, Kagome winced, but didn't call for a stop. After a few more steps, she motioned for them to continue without waiting for her.

"Inuyasha, you should see how Kagome is doing. Her injury is quite serious." Sango pleaded after the hanyou had continued as she had asked, without the rest of the party. He stopped and whirled around slowly and reluctantly.

"Feh. It's not like she would care so much anymore, anyway." He replied as he walked over to her motionless form. He crouched down and met her dull brown eyes. They were unseeing, and when she was poked, it soon became apparent that she was asleep, and having a fitful dream.

"_Inuyasha!" She saw him getting killed over and over again. Once by fire, by water, by Naraku, at his own hand-she must have seen every possible way he could have met his demise(s). She pleaded at each vision for him to stop, offering countless sacrifices for him, so that he could live. Each time, he refused, sometimes smiling, sometimes laughing, crying._

_After his body was mangled, or laid peacefully at rest, his soul would always rise. In his living form, he was adorable. As a spirit, he was irresistible. Reaching futile arms out to the hanyou she could never have, Kagome cried as he drifted away._

_Kikyo would inevitably come, hugging his soul and opening her void to hell for one last attempt._

_It would succeed, as none other had._

_Laughing sympathetically, they would descend, leaving her alone, broken and weak._

"_No..." she whispered._

"_No..." it echoed, and finished with a, "You are the only one who can prevent these from happening..."_

She sat up with a start and shook her head, clearing the images from her mind. Inuyasha had also jumped when she moved, and now was sitting on his behind, hair slightly frazzled from the shock. It was a funny picture, and she would have laughed if not for the pictures that would not leave her vision.

"Kagome, are you feeling better?" he asked worriedly.

"You were w-with Kikyo ag-gain. It's gonna happen for real soon, I know it! You're gonna die, all those ways, one has to be true!" she conveyed hysterically. "And now that I'm wounded..." she trailed off, not voicing her worry that he would find her so much less attractive with her wounds, making her weak as well.

Inuyasha pulled her to him and palmed her cheek. He didn't want to show weakness, but felt it necessary to calm her down.

"Don't worry; you know I would never do that to you. How are your wounds?" he asked awkwardly.

Kagome looked down at her bandaged side and thigh.

Or rather, at the loose, bloody bandages that covered fresh, but faint scars.

"They're gone!" she whispered, showing shock that normally wouldn't be felt.

Inuyasha looked uncertain. He decided to call Miroku over to ask him what it meant. Kaede could give him a more complete answer, but she wasn't around. He knew that Kikyo could do healing, but she had usually closed her eyes and muttered something. Kagome couldn't control her powers, but this shouldn't happen. While before she had been wishing for them to heal, her emotions had handled the knowledge necessary. The healthy, pure glow had also been missing this time.

"Miroku, could you come over and explain this?" he yelled.

Miroku strolled leisurely over and glanced at Kagome. His eyes widened as he took in her dark aura.

* * *

Review darlings! Shade five coming out around...November 25th, as I'm anticipating. Apologies for all the line breaks, I need them. Also, if ya got a better idea for Kagura, the , tell me. I need some inspiration. 


	5. Shade Five

**

* * *

**

**Dark Lineage**

**Shade Five**

Miroku tried several times to speak, but failed every time. A thwack from Sango remedied that. She didn't want her friend to wait any longer for his diagnosis.

"Kagome is doing things that only a dark miko is supposed to be able to do. Since it's obvious that you're going to question me soon, I'll give you a bit of information first; they are much stronger than ordinary mikos, providing they are wearing their bracelets. I suppose that Kikyo and you were the only exceptions to that rule as of now. Anyways, their bracelets are focuses, allowing them to control more power than normal."

Kagome stared at him and giggled nervously while looking out of the corner of her eye at her arms.

"If that's true, then why do I have these powers?! I'm not wearing a bracelet or anything! How, I mean where, or whatever, do these dark mikos come from?" she asked, almost too calmly analyzing the data. She ignored the fright barely showing in her friends' eyes.

Miroku sighed and sat down. Shippo and Kirara inched closer to the rest of the group, both crawling into a friendly lap.

"A dark miko comes into being when a miko dies with an unclean heart. The more painful the death, the stronger the natural, raw power." He began, but was interrupted by Inuyasha.

"That's a load of bullshit! If that was true, Kikyo would be a dark miko, doing who knows what!" he yelled, not noticing Kagome tense up at the mention of Kikyo, nor the facts that she was a corrupted miko, indeed doing who knows what.

Miroku slowly turned to face Inuyasha.

"How can you be sure that she's not?!" he demanded, losing his composure for the second time.

Sango tried to steer them clear of a disaster by asking Miroku placidly to continue. She ignored the daggers being shot at her by Inuyasha, who wanted to pick a fight.

Miroku looked at her strangely and started again.

"The Shikon jewel may have affected Kikyo's fate. I truly do not know why Kikyo was not reborn as a dark miko. Back onto the original subject; a miko will show powers once her corruption level is high enough. Usually they come back to life as we know it through the uneducated mistakes of others, or revival by one of the more powerful current ones. I believe there are many more ways, but sadly I am not aware of them."

"That's silly! Kagome's pure; she's not going to turn into one of them!" Shippo said confidently while everyone nodded in uncertain agreement.

Inuyasha was lost in thought. This did make sense. The only thing that didn't fit was Kagura's warning and Kaede's explanation. Either one of them was wrong…or both of them were.

"Damn it…" he said suddenly causing everyone to jump.

Kirara, expecting and receiving her signal, transformed and allowed Kagome to get on. Having done absolutely nothing since the morning, she was going home again after only a few hours.

Or was she…

"Kagome, you are not leaving us now." Inuyasha commanded firmly, grabbing Kirara's fur with one hand, Kagome's arm with the other. After the fitful battle of stares, she climbed back off, and he released the neko, but not the miko.

"You're never going to leave us for forever."

Surprising them all with a declaration that they would all return to the village they had only recently left, there wasn't much discussion.

* * *

Since her wounds had healed, Kagome was fit for travel. They made good time, and arrived back at the village several hours before nightfall. Kirara had been given a break, as for some reason Inuyasha wanted them all to walk. Kaede was working in her garden again when Sango squatted down next to her. Inuyasha was off somewhere, Miroku was with the girls in a vain attempt to distract himself, and Shippo was lurking around the well.

"Kaede…we think that Kagome might be a turning into a dark miko. Do you have any words of knowledge or advice?" she asked cautiously.

Kaede froze, her hand still grasping a weed. She turned to face Sango and why silently. Why it had to be brought up now, when she had thought all would be laid to rest for a while.

Kaede faced Sango and spoke solemnly.

"Has Inuyasha brought up the subject of Kikyo yet? Questioning if she truly is evil, or defending what he believes to be true?"

Sango nodded and asked, bewildered, "He has. What does that have anything to do with it? We just wondered why Kikyo was not a dark miko, considering the manner of her death. And what do you mean by what he believes to be true?"

Kaede looked her straight in the eye and said, "You must promise only to tell Miroku and no one else about what I am about to relate to you." She was obviously troubled, her hands still and on her lap.

Sango began to protest, but then stopped when she thought about it. Inuyasha was likely to get into a rage just at hearing Kikyo's name being spoken. Miroku seemed to be the only one she could tell, anyways. It's wasn't like Kagome should know, either. Her reaction to Kikyo was almost as strong as Inuyasha's, if for different reasons. She was also the subject, it wouldn't be right.

"I promise I won't tell anyone aside from Miroku." She said, resigned.

Kaede merely nodded and motioned for her to follow.

They walked for a while away from the village until a different feel to the air was around them. They sat down and made themselves comfortable, Kaede kneeling and Sango lying down.

* * *

'_How can this be happening to me?'_ Kagome asked herself for the hundredth time, gazing at her reflection. She didn't look any different, except for the bags under her eyes and her messy hair. Her face was flushed at the moment, overheated for some reason.

Although she could have convinced herself in time, a part of her knew the truth.

'_Girl, you're a dark miko. Face it; it began when Inuyasha began to see Kikyo more often. That set off your awakening Or maybe it started before that, before you realized that you loved him.'_

'_Shut up! I know what you're trying to do, get me to really start turning into one with all this self-doubt!'_ she retorted half-heartedly.

'_I do love him. And he does love me, even if he doesn't show it much. I don't know too much, but that has to be true.'_

'_And of course, he could always just be in love with the face he saw and fell in love with 50 years ago.' _The little voice kept nagging, trying to penetrate her mental defenses.

"I'm taking a bath!" Kagome yelled in frustration and marched out of her room, clothes in hand.

Souta eyed her from his room. She usually didn't yell unless she was really pissed off, and he could see no reason why, unless it was Inuyasha again. She also usually didn't talk to herself, much less raise her voice.

"Hey sis, is it Inuyasha's fault again?" he asked, oblivious to the tension that was thick in the air.

Kagome slowly turned around and…glowed.

"Whoa sis, you don't have to demonstrate your awesome miko powers!" he pleaded, backing away, trying to use humor to help save him.

'_My powers? But they usually glow white, not this blood-red…_ she thought in a panic, the aura dimming instantly.

"Never mind! I'm going back to the feudal era, maybe Kaede can help!" she yelled at her mom and brother, who stared back at her. She dropped her clothes, not bothering to pick them up, or her backpack.

"Inuyasha's really got it coming, huh mom?" Souta asked, amused.

Mrs. Higurashi nodded in agreement. Neither knew the details, so they thought themselves very smart for figuring out what she was doing.

* * *

"Sango, have you spoken with Kaede?" Miroku asked quietly, far away from Inuyasha. Even with his enhanced hearing, he would not be able to understand. The village was having a kind of party, and the murmur of voices disguised their conversation. Inuyasha could not know of what Kaede said, no matter what.

Sango nodded and motioned for them to talk later, gesturing to everyone around them. Miroku nodded understanding back, and moved to the women, to make the wait a tad shorter. Sango immediately knocked him out with her boomerang when he turned around, the thud causing many to look their way. Blushing gracefully, she dragged him to a corner and left him.

"Inuyasha, why are you so gloomy? Is it because of Kagome?" Shippo asked naively. This earned him a lump on his head and silence from Inuyasha, flavored with a dark look.

"I'll take that as a yes." He muttered as he inched towards Kaede. He had a question of his own, similar to Sango and Miroku's, but not as well thought out.

"Kaede, what are the powers of a dark miko?" he asked timidly, looking up with bright, round eyes.

Kaede gave a start and excused herself from the conversation she had just been having with a villager over the properties of herbs. She glanced at him, a little surprised that he would ask her too. However, while the question was similar, the answer was not. Kaede didn't believe that he should know, and avoided answering directly.

"I do not know for certain." She began, but Shippo's face fell and he walked away without hearing the end. He wanted to find out if Kagome really was turning into one, for her sake as well as his. Kaede breathed a sigh of relief, glad she would not have to lie outright. She was nervous of having too many people question her knowledge.

He strolled away and went to sleep in the crook of a tree quickly. Sango gazed sadly after him and 'woke' Miroku up with a few strong shakes.

"Shippo's growing up, is he not?" she asked, almost wistfully.

Miroku sighed and said with a stretch, "That he is. Are you disappointed? Anyone would have to mature greatly when fighting against Naraku. His manipulations call for great self-control and the ability to lock away emotions." He walked away as Sango meditated on his words, both forgetting their plans for meeting at the moment.

No one noticed the presence of a demon, watching from nearby. Half-hidden in the shadows, she followed Sango, eager for the information that Kaede had been able to mask from her in the warded field. She would have to wait a while longer…at least until the next morning.

"Miroku! Kagome is going to be back this afternoon. I'll tell you what Kaede said now. Follow me!" Sango called to Miroku the next morning, after carefully inching away from where his arms had been encircling her. He sat up groggily and asked,

"If this is truly to be a secret, don't you think you can do better than shouting it all over the village? Shippo has already tried to find out. I don't think the time should worry you. There will definitely be something delaying Kagome. I thought she would be back by now, last night I seem to recall her presence at the other end of the well."

Sango quirked her eyebrow and asked very much amused, "And just when and how did you do that? I recall knocking you out."

"Don't change the subject! It was before you ungraciously did that! I am reprimanding you for your shouting, and you decide to talk of this! She probably got held up." He said grudgingly.

Come on; let us not put this off any longer." He offered his arm to her, which she refused, and they walked away to a more secluded place, Sango mentally reprimanding herself for allowing her attraction to grow so far.

Shippo watched them, bemused. He was too far away to hear what they were saying, but could tell that they had been shouting. Now they were walking away like lovers. He shook his head, and then brightened as an idea for a prank occurred.

He ran to where Inuyasha sat moping near the well, waiting for Kagome. The hanyou's ears flattened as he heard the kitsune pounding near.

"Inuyasha, guess what!" he asked excitedly, batting his eyes comically.

"What?" he answered dully, turning his head to look at the well again. It was senseless; he would have scented her long before seeing her, but it gave him something to do. This time it seemed longer, considering the terms they had parted on.

"Sango and Miroku just went somewhere!"

"What's so special about that? They do that all the time, to get different shards." He said, looking at Shippo incredulously. The pair really did go off sometimes when Kagome went back to her time for shards that were simple and not being manipulated by Naraku.

"But Inuyasha! They didn't tell anyone, and before that they were shouting at each other, something about what Kaede said! Let's go see what their doing. Please Inuyasha?" he pleaded with a look, not choosing his words very carefully.

Inuyasha sighed and stood up, having perked up at the mention of Kaede's words. She always had something up her sleeve, and it wouldn't surprise him if she held back from him just because.

"Where did they go?"

"This way!" Shippo giggled in anticipation. He bounded in the direction they had gone. Inuyasha followed behind, rather dejectedly.

* * *

Kagome had planned to return that night, but, as Miroku had guessed, had been held up. Hojo, despite the hour, had come around hopefully, looking to set another date.

"Kagome, you are looking much better. How was your operation?" Hojo asked sincerely, stepping into the well-house. He was uncomfortably close.

Kagome began turning bright red before she answered abruptly.

"It was perfectly fine. Why are you here?"

He looked hurt and said, "But Kagome, don't you remember? You said that we could go to the movies tonight, and that I could find you here if you didn't show up at the schoolyard on time. Do you mean to say that something has come up again? And why are you wearing that huge backpack?"

Kagome struggled to decide what to say. If she refused, he would definitely know that something was up. Come to think of it, why was he being so suspicious and not his usual thick self? She didn't recall making any such promise in any case.

"I was just carrying it to the shrine. We usually keep it here. You know, grandpa's superstitions." She winked, and felt a little remorse. '

_Well, serves him right. He's always making things up about me.'_

"I'm almost ready to go, just let me change out of my new uniform into the older one and it'll all be good." As he nodded his assent, she flew up the stairs in anger, as much as frustration. Now she would have to spend the night with Hojo!

Changing into her old uniform, one that had seen many weeks in the feudal era, she paused before the mirror again. Now there was a visible change, the flush that spread across her entire face. While before it was more of a pinkish tint, it was now dark red, lending her the appearance of someone who either couldn't get enough air, or someone that…she didn't know.

'_Inuyasha, I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow._' She sighed and went back downstairs, pasting a smile on her face for the naïve Hojo, waiting patiently besides the door. Her mother looked puzzled as she bid them a good night.

* * *

"Miroku, I have to ask that you restrain your…needs until I have finished. It is a very serious business, and I won't appreciate distractions. Is this alright?" Sango asked, almost gently, thinking of his usual gropes. "You also can't tell anybody else about this."

Miroku nodded bewilderedly, and decided to ignore the presence of Inuyasha and Shippo. Sango had never said anything about him, besides, they probably should know.

"When Kaede began talking, I didn't believe it, until it all started to fit, so please be real quiet, too." No one sensed the presence of the fifth person listening.

**Flashback**

_"Dark mikos are not essentially evil. They are misguided, and so believe that their path is to be evil, free to seek revenge or other similar tasks. If, however, one finds that the truth is that they could be good, but still decides to stay evil, worlds become open to them, quite literally. Their powers grow, and it would be wise to fear them._

_"But I will save that for later. My sister Kieoko was born a powerful miko, powerful enough to defeat most dark mikos. It was why she had been born, to destroy them and to purify others. She was the one foretold of, that the miko Midoriko had spoken of. She was the one." Kaede could see that Sango was struggling to keep silent, and the question needed to be asked. She motioned for her to speak._

_"Kaede, I thought that your sister's name was Kikyo."_

_"My sister is not Kikyo. Don't stare, you will find out the story later. Be patient."_

_"Unfortunately, she overestimated her power by a little. Unfortunately yet again, it was in the greatest battle. She was overpowered, but not killed…yet. They decided that it would do the most harm if she was…replaced with one of their own. One adept at concealing and deception. They transferred her into Hell and brought she who you know as Kikyo. Kieoko was no more, at least not in the world of the living. No one knew of the change, and Kikyo slowly changed the way they pronounced her name. You could say that they had been brainwashed."_

_Kaede took a shuddering breath._

_"Kikyo's love for Inuyasha was real. Naraku's twisting of their love was real. She was reborn in this world again. She was not reborn as a dark miko because she was already one. That entire entire rebirth only increased her powers. However, something went wrong. She was gaining a heart. All dark mikos fear the burdens of the heart, the feelings and mercy. Few can harness the raw emotion to their own gain. Kikyo was afraid. She latched back on to Inuyasha, and it seems that her reincarnation, Kagome, is being pulled into her web also. She will soon become a dark miko. I believe that she has only to become more corrupted and die before it will happen."_

_Sango gasped and sat up._

_"Why hasn't anyone discovered this yet?" she asked fiercely._

_"Like I said, she was the master of deception. I doubt even Naraku was able to tell."_

_Sango thought for a moment._

_"Is Kagome the reincarnation of Kieoko or Kikyo?"_

_"I do not know. It does stand to reason that she is the reincarnation of Kikyo. After all, she resembles Kikyo more than my sister. My sister looked alike to both, but she had several marks on her that are not present on the other to." Kaede gestured to where they would be._

_"Kaede, tell me this. Where did you get all this information? Unless you were once a dark miko, I think that this knowledge is priceless and impossible to get. And does Kikyo know that you know? And-"_

_Kaede smiled, almost evilly._

_"My sister is no longer in hell. She is here, with us even now." She smirked at Sango's expression. She had immediately started to swing her head around, looking for Kieoko. Sango sensed that something was wrong, even a human should be able to tell if there was another with them in the enchanted field._

_"Not there! She is here!" she said as pointing to herself, satisfied with her reaction._

_"Do you mean to say that Kieoko is within you now?!" Sango asked, almost horrified at hearing of yet another two souls sharing one body._

_"Technically, Kieoko as we know here is not here, but you see, I have permitted her to take over my old body occasionally. There usually isn't a need for that. Kieoko is working on a new body now. You should be able to meet her soon, if things go well."_

_"But I don't get it! How did she escape? If the dark mikos are truly as powerful as you say they are, it must be nearly impossible!" Sango said, disbelieving._

_"Kieoko transferred her miko powers, along with her ghost to me when she found out where she would be kept. Unfortunately, it took all of her remaining willpower and strength, so they have kept parts of her soul, and are still taking a little more back each day. I do not believe that they know why this has happened, although they are aware of where she is."_

**Interrupt flashback**

There was a thunk from behind them. Sango whirled around quickly and gaped. Shippo sat on his head, obviously dazed. Inuyasha jumped down to pick him up calmly.

Miroku walked calmly over to him and said, "You finally revealed yourself." He would have continued, except Sango started turned very red.

"_NO ONE WAS TO KNOW BESIDES YOU!!!!!"_ she grated out and promptly beat him up. Shippo came to and asked,

"How did it go, you guys?" Blithely ignoring the prostrate form of Miroku that was growing very familiar, he walked a little closer to the wielder of the boomerang.

Sango turned to him and glared. Shippo froze and asked sheepishly,

"That bad?" and started running, anticipating

Sango took several deep breaths and stalked back to the village, leaving Miroku and Inuyasha facing each other – in a very abstract sort of way, of course. Inuyasha looked down on his peaceful face, and sighed.

"You shouldn't have told her you knew I was there." He slung his body of his shoulder and followed Sango.

**

* * *

Review.**


	6. Shade Six

Thanks for reading. Don't own anything.

**

* * *

**

**Dark Lineage**

**Shade Six**

Kagome sighed and shifted position again. Leave it to Hojo to find the most boring romance movie in the theaters. She had been acting as dull as she dared all evening. It was some Chinese flick, and would likely end in suicide by the girl.

When it ended with a sad song that had been translated a bit differently, she stood up and stretched quickly, to prevent Hojo from making any moves on her.

Pleased that her prediction was correct in a twisted way, Kagome thought that she had been rather dull because of it. She felt sorry for Hojo, who she couldn't shake off politely.

As they walked back to her house, she noticed that Hojo seemed a little melancholy. Stopping at the arch before the steps, she looked at him to say goodnight, but was surprised when he leaned in and kissed her, almost sadly.

Before she could say anything, he put his finger on her lips and spoke sadly.

"Kagome, I knew you never enjoyed being with me, but I had hoped that you would grow to like me. Now that Kumiko and the other new exchange students have come, I'm positive that you never will. What did you want me to do? I thought I was being everything you could want, but I see that I wasn't. Kagome, I loved you, but a single-sided love cannot survive. Remember me in the future."

He turned and left, head hung low and his hands jammed in his pockets.

Kagome stayed on the first step, speechless. Hojo…new students…Kumiko…she should have gone to school earlier! There must have been something special or strange about them if he had seen fit to mention them, and for him to think he didn't have a chance anymore. She didn't know what encouragement she had given to make him think he ever had one, but the oblivious one had realized finally how she felt.

But Kagome hadn't said anything…

"I never wanted to hurt anyone…" she whispered, striding to her bed, burying her face in the pillow. She fell asleep quickly, despite all of the troubles that weighed on her mind.

Inuyasha leapt out of the well. He knew that Kagome would be asleep, but he had to see if she had changed at all. After Sango's relation of events, he wouldn't be surprised if Kagome had turned into some sort of succubus. He crept into her room, through the window that was always left unlocked.

She had been crying. If that wasn't strange enough, her hair was no longer its natural pure blue-black. Certain parts had begun turning red, blood red. It was dark enough to be mistaken for a black still, but with his eyes Inuyasha could tell.

"Kagome…what's happening to you?" he whispered, very softly.

She stirred and mumbled,

"Inuyasha..."

In a panic and uncertain of whether it was a dream or if she was reacting to him, he rushed to the well and leaped through.

"Since when is her hearing that good?!" he thought. Reporting immediately to Sango and Miroku, he went to brood on his tree. Growing restless, he jumped off and went for a run. Suddenly, he crashed into Kikyo. He was surprised, having not been able to pick up her scent. She picked herself up, for once without her soul collectors and closed her eyes.

"Inuyasha, where is Kagome?" she asked, almost forcefully. Her face was drawn taut and there were bags under her eyes.

Inuyasha leapt down and asked as bluntly as he could,

"Were-I mean are- you a dark miko, Kikyo?!"

Kikyo glanced at him with unreadable eyes. You could tell that she wanted desperately to say something. She opened her mouth.

But instead of a yes or a no, she screamed.

"Sachiko, tell Nanashi and Nobu I will not come! You have no control over me any-" a dark shape swooped down and cut her off. It straightened and looked Inuyasha in the eyes. It was the face of a beautiful woman. What were unusual about her were her streaks of purple flowing through her hair and the line of red framing her irises.

"I apologize for Kikyo here. You know too much, but you are still a vital part of the plan. Kikyo can see you no more, her use is gone. Kieoko will return soon. Do not fall for her, for if this is the only true thing I ever say, she will be your downfall, more than either Kagome or Kikyo could ever have been. I have said too much, but my blunder should be your gain. Remember, and take heed."

She paused and added, almost carelessly, "I don't suggest letting any dark mikos heal anything."

That was the last thing Inuyasha remembered as he keeled over. That, and a flash of red light.

'_I must prevent Kagome from returning. She will cause more harm here than in her time. No matter what, I must prevent her from returning.'_ Inuyasha thought over and over again, not sure why he was determined to make it so. Darkness blurred the edges of his vision, until it consumed his entire view.

* * *

Kagome admired herself in the mirror. She straightened a few stray hairs that had gone out of her neat ponytail. Fingering her red strands, she thought of her new wardrobe. She had to wear her school uniform in school still, but outside anything was allowed. Her tight new skirts went down to her knees, and were a lot more modest than the usual skirt she wore. Her mother had barely given her a glance when she went shopping, only commenting on how it was nice that she was wearing different clothes again.

Kumiko had noticed her on her first day back, and she was slightly confused as to how she felt about him just yet. He was an attractive boy, with waist length yellow hair. He looked like Tetsaki, which only messed her feelings up a little more.

'_Kumiko makes me think of Inuyasha as well…'_ she mused. She wasn't too guilty about making him wait; it had only been two and a half weeks, of course. He hadn't come by to pick her up either, so it meant that he wanted the break as well.

Her old friends had left her; when she returned they were clustered around a still moping Hojo. Shooting her venomous looks, they had done nothing when she greeted them. Yuka had shifted her hand, as if she had to restrain a rude gesture. Eri and Ayumi had openly scorned her.

It hadn't taken long to figure out that they no longer wanted her as a friend. Kagome had never been too friendly with the rest of the school either, and that relationship continued. Now, the only ones who would talk to her were Kumiko and his two friends. Heavenly boys, they were good protectors. She had been ambushed two times already, and the culprits had left as soon as Kumiko had arrived. She didn't have much of a choice in accepting them as her friends.

"But," she giggled mirthlessly, "It wouldn't do for me to shoot my sacred arrows at them either. Dependency on total strangers wasn't exactly on my to-do list."

Inuyasha paused outside the window. What did this last sentence mean? She had assured him several times that there were no demons or anything in her time that she would have to use her miko powers against.

"Kagome, it's time to-" He stopped and stared. Kagome giggled again, this time with more emotion.

"Inuyasha, do you know how this happened?" she asked, pointing to her hair. It was a dark red in the front, streaked in her bangs, and scattered throughout the back.

"No-did you do something to it?" he asked unkindly, hinting that it looked less than beautiful.

"Do you like it?" she asked uncertainly, and Inuyasha had to nod. She was becoming fragile looking.

Kagome picked up her new backpack, a one-strapped white one, and jumped out the window with him. She landed easily, and ran to the well, falling once again gracefully, leaving Inuyasha going slower behind her. He shook his head, and accepted the change. He accepted it because he had no choice, if her blood was calling her back into her true form, he would have to wait to change her back.

Miroku pointed in the direction of the well as they ran up to him.

"Are you sure that the aura of Naraku is there? Why would he want to hang around Kagome's well; he doesn't know, does he?" Sango asked worriedly. Shippo laughed in delight when he saw Kagome sprinting, and ran towards her as well. They met and spun in a circle.

"Is it dress-up day back in your time?" he asked, gesturing to her clothes. They limited her movement, but he thought they looked better than her usual uniform.

"No Shippo, it's what I've decided to wear now outside of school."

"I think it looks nice." Complimented Sango unnecessarily, at loss of what else to say.

"Miroku, is that the demon?" asked Shippo, pointing in the direction of a cloud. It disappeared as soon as the other turned around, and Miroku shook his head.

"That is." He said, pointing in the other direction. Kagura stood, as blank and devoid of emotion as before.

They all ran quickly towards the sitting opponent. She got up, and flashed her fan at their eyes. A ray of sun reflected off. Still running, but blinded, they stopped quickly. When they could finally see again, two blond demons were present. The male was in a stance, icy green eyes boring into them. The female

Inuyasha growled, and Miroku asked casually, "I take it that you know him?"

"He's Kagome's Tetsaki." And now, it was obvious that the miko knew him, as she ran towards the enemy. They exchanged a few words, and Tetsaki shook his head vehemently.

"Bitch, you don't know me at all. What gives you the authority to tell me to back down?" he hissed. Kagome didn't fall back and instead continued strongly,

"Bitch yourself; you should have more brains than to go against us. What the hell does Naraku want now?"

"Nothing that he wants you to know." Tetsaki responded, and swung his katana slowly at her. She backed away, receiving the hint.

"Alright, if you wanna fight for real."

She dropped her backpack some distance away and picked up her bow and arrows. Kagome let several arrows fly, which he dodged easily.

"Simple arrows won't fell me." He said, pointing out the obvious, and let a horizontal slash of power loose at the immobile fighters. The battle began for real.

Inuyasha countered with his Wind Scar, letting the power block Tetsaki's attack. Sango jumped of Kirara, and whispered into the neko's ear. Kirara shook herself, and climbed into the air rapidly. Sango hurled her boomerang at Tetsaki, uncertain of how much strength she was supposed to use. If he was Kagome's friend, would she object to hurting him?

Inuyasha had no such thoughts. He fell upon the demon with energy, slashing, punching, and basically fighting dirty. Tetsaki fended him off easily, sparing the monk a look. Kagura had left, but blades of wind were still whipping around the field. Miroku used his Wind Tunnel to make sure they didn't hit any of his friends.

Sango retrieved her boomerang, and stood up sharply when she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders. No one was there when she looked though. Then, she noticed the female youkai standing a few yards away.

"You do that?" she asked.

"Not physically. There are some powers I wouldn't give up for the world. One of which helps my mental abilities." She laughed, and punched Sango in the stomach. As the exterminator doubled over, she said kindly, "You can call me Tesake."

Sango felt trouble coming on, heavily and strong.

Kagome had sat down when he had said, "Simple arrows won't fell me," surprised at the truth in the statement. It made her think.

'_Simple arrows could never kill a youkai of his class. I haven't shot a simple, plain arrow since I…since never. The first time I shot an arrow, it missed horribly, but there was still power. There was still power…even if I didn't will it or anything, there was still something. What about now? Those were just plain shots, one anybody could make. But there's that new power I've been testing…'_

"Oi! Kagome, stop your fooling and help us, will ya?!" yelled Inuyasha, who was being pushed back in a deadlock. Shippo jumped up and down, and slapped Myouga off his neck.

"Nice time for you to show up." The kitsune said, his eyes flat lines. Myouga laughed hastily, and said,

"I came to see how you were doing, heh."

"Sure. Any tips for Inuyasha?" asked Shippo sarcastically. H moved to the safety of some trees.

"No."

"Figures."

Kagome walked to the struggling pair and grinned. She pushed lightly on their foreheads with two fingers each, and they flew apart, hundreds of feet spanned in a matter of seconds. The dirt drag marks went deeper and deeper, until a chasm separated each from daylight. She laughed outright then, and sat down, counting on her fingers.

"One, two, and three…" A rumbling was heard from one end, and then the other started emitting several clangs.

"Four, five…" the earth shuddered, getting more violent. Kagome kneeled and spread her hands for better balance.

"Six, seven, eight…" Faint battle cries and shouts could be heard now.

"Nine, ten. Here they come."

"Wench, why the hell do you give me such pain?!" yelled Inuyasha, leaping back towards her. His opponent was similarly insulting her with degrading names, and they clashed almost in the same place as before.

"Because you asked for it." Kagome responded sweetly, and sprinted to Sango, who was covered with bruises and cuts. Tesake was floating comfortably in the air, looking rather sad as she twitched her fingers first one way, and then another. Sango was hit simultaneously. Kagome threw a red ward over her friend and jumped up to Tesake's invisible platform.

"What the hell are you doing? Why are you both here?" she demanded. Tesake sat up straighter.

"It was commanded that I test the exterminator. I'm not finding her much of a challenge. Naraku said you would ask, and said just to tell you that Kumiko isn't yours." She shrugged, still clouded with depression.

"What's wrong with you?" Kagome asked fiercely, keeping her new personality going enthusiastically. "Sango's my friend, stop!!!"

"I can't. I've been commanded. You think I like doing this?!" Tesake furiously asked. She gestured to her right arm, where an intricate labyrinth was tattooed.

"This is the only thing stopping me from stopping."

About to elaborate on her limit, she disappeared, and her platform with her. Kagome plummeted to the ground, and was only barely caught by Inuyasha, who had noticed. Grunting as stars whirled around his head, he asked shakily,

"Where'd they go?"

"I don't know." She replied shortly, getting off and helping him up. She went and picked up her backpack.

"Kagome, I don't think you should come back anymore. It's getting to be too dangerous." Inuyasha whispered, knowing that her ears would catch it. She looked sad for a moment, but then that fleeting look was gone.

"I'll come as often and for as long as I wish." She went over to help Sango up.

"Should I try and heal your wounds?" she asked kindly.

"NO!" Sango refused loudly, before clapping a bloody hand to her mouth at Kagome's stricken look. Inuyasha had told them the warning made by the miko called 'Sachiko'. Kagome backed away, and wordlessly held out the bandages and medication. Miroku gently helped apply the healing ointments, keeping his hands still, which Sango was grateful for.

Inuyasha was almost unharmed, but since the cuts were already disappearing, she decided that he would live. They continued, away from the field that would be forever marked with the signs of battle.

Weary, they settled for a cave after hours of wandering. They were alerted to the unwelcome presence of a longtime friend/enemy by a shriek. Sobs from Kagome followed the initial sound.

It wasn't really the wolf demon.

It was, rather, his body.

It was badly mangled, but the face was still untouched, preserving a look of surprise. Kagome cried silently, touching a cold hand to his colder face.

After a simple, mindless burial, Kagome declared,

"I think I'm going home now."

She disappeared in a flash of red light, leaving her friends stunned. They would have to make their way back themselves. The aftershock of his death hadn't hit them quite yet, and they hadn't thought of why he had died, who had killed him, or even why they had put his body to rest in the place they did.

'_Kouga's dead. Inuyasha doesn't want me to come back. But I will! I have to, and I just have to go home and see him again first…'_ she finished, determined to make Inuyasha want her to be there always, forgetting that he already did.

She jumped into the well, not thinking or asking any questions of why she had gotten there so fast. Kagome was beginning to accept her powers as natural.

* * *

Naraku had a dangerous look in his eyes. A few limp bodies were piled next to him, bloodied and quite obviously dead. Some were dismembered.

"Bring me another one." He commanded. A few minor imps scuttled up to him with a new slave, whimpering in fear. The imps shuddered at his stony expression, and scuttled out as fast as their legs could take them.

He suddenly made a knife jump up through his hand, the wound dripping for a while. It closed up, and the knife grew longer, to the point where it was longer than him. Advancing towards the sacrifice, he asked neutrally,

"Tetsaki. You did give the Changer the orders he was to carry out, did you not."

Tetsaki, his face betraying only a little of the fear held inside, bowed and said,

"I did. The Changer told me to assure you that the girl is ready, and completely reliant on him."

Naraku carved the spider emblem on the back of the man, watching emotionlessly as the blood dripped down, ignoring the squeals of pain. Without any forewarning, he cast a spell to mute the man's sounds and stabbed into his right eye. The blood flowed quickly down his face, and Naraku left him to bleed to death on top of the rest of his experiments.

"I am angry, Tetsaki. Can you tell? It took time to set Inuyasha up. It took time to set the miko up. It took time. You and Tesake were called back because he was being incompetent. He made her show too fast."

Tetsaki did not move. It was best not to disturb the master when a failure had been reported. He still remembered his near sister's almost death. She had shown that Koga had died as planned, but not in the way planned. Instead of being found by Kikyo and being crushed by the magic-enhanced boulder, he had been killed by one of the last Birds of Paradise. Kikyo had not found him, but Kagome had.

Tesake had come by again later, and apparently had not acted with enough humbleness, for when she finished, Naraku had smiled evilly and said,

"I have decided that I do not need a psychic demon here, even the psychic demon of communication. You shall be absorbed back into my essence. Your body shall be altered and preserved, to serve a future use. Are you not glad to learn that you shall be useful, even in non-existence?" The following screams of torture had not been easy to bear. But he had to. Survival of the fittest. His master had nearly killed her, but reveled instead in her open fear. He had let her live.

"Leave me now." Naraku finished cutting out the tongue of one of the already dead ones, and tossed the body back on top of the others.

He almost scuttled out, but to show weakness in front of Naraku was to show how you could be killed. He wanted to live, if only for her…

Naraku continued to meditate while gazing upon the faces of Goshinko (Tell me the spellings, please!), Kageromaru, Jaromaru, Tesake, and the newest edition, Kagura. The witch had either died or had found a way to get around her bond. He had felt her part of his essence return, but a little had remained. Not enough to be useful, damn it. He had no clue how she had appeared before Tetsaki and Tesake had, but it wasn't under his control. And the two swore that they didn't know anything. Ha. He wasn't sure why he kept Tetsaki around. He had been humbled by the reabsorbing of his sister, so there shouldn't be any trouble for a while.

This was his wall of failures. All failed plans, incarnations, and battles were depicted in uncanny detail. It was to remind him not to be overconfident. Until recently, only Goshinko and the brothers had been on the wall. Now, a small etching of the Changer, Kagome, and Inuyasha had been added along with the other failures. It was growing, and that wasn't good.

"Master, it is time for your meeting with the Nanashi Akira." Said Tesake humbly bowing in the doorway.

Naraku slammed his fist into the picture of the Changer.

"Tell…her…I'll…be…a….moment." he hissed dangerously. Tesake exited to inform the Nanashi Akira of the delay, cringing at the crack the hit had made on the wall.

When Naraku entered the room 15 minutes later, he was confronted by an irritated miko.

"Naraku, you have often stressed the virtues of punctuality, you would do good to remember what you say!" a rather tall woman yelled in his face, jabbing her finger into his chest.

"I apologize, Nanashi Akira." Naraku said a little impatiently. Just as impatiently, she replied,

"For the last, time, call me Akira! The Nanashi is for the mikos that need to learn respect!" Akira bellowed.

"Very unnecessary behavior for the female head miko." Naraku smirked while Akira fumed and made rude gestures, which only served to prove his point.

The Changer hissed in annoyance when the master's response came. He knew that Naraku would never understand why he had to delay. Those eyes…were enough to stop him

She was enchanting, as no other woman he had experienced before. And he _would _possess her, even if it meant going against the Spider's orders.

His eyes, shades of jades and emeralds, swirled in a everchanging blend of greens.

* * *

Review please.


	7. Shade Seven

Disclaimer: No ownership have I, unless all should pay lots and lots to help me become-nah, that's completely not possible.

Author's Note:

Hello, my friends. I actually don't think anybody's reading this, and I don't think that'll change, even when I actually start writing new chapters. It makes me a tad sad, that it does.

* * *

**Dark Lineage**

**Shade Seven**

Inuyasha was thinking once more upon Kikyo's now mysterious past. Why had that Sachiko woman come for her? Was she also a dark miko? What exactly was a dark miko? Who were Nanashi and Nobu? There were too many questions to answer. What was happening to Kagome? Who was Sachiko?!

As if his rambling thoughts had summoned her, the ethereal lady appeared. She smiled a little at his shock. There was no smoke to mask it, she had simply…appeared.

"Surprised, Inuyasha? Of course you are, everyone is. I bet you thought that if I ever returned, I would drop like I did when you were with Kikyo, and I had to take her away."

Inuyasha tightened his fists a little more, feeling the sweat begin to condense in his palms.

"Where is Kikyo? Is she safe?"

Sachiko laughed without any mirth, and fingered his silver hair.

"Safe? Hardly so. Kikyo is undergoing the process of reentering the Hell in which we all dwell. Her essences will be used to enhance the comfort of living in the Hell. There isn't much you can do about it. It's time for you to realize that you never had much say in any case."

"You really don't care about her at all, do you?!" Inuyasha began raising his voice, despite the fact that she was only inches in front of him.

Sachiko's face hardened, and she stepped back, the closeness feeling wrong.

"You don't know anything about how I feel about my sister. You know nothing."

"Your sister? Kikyo was from hell…"

"-and you know absolutely nothing about her. Her 'past' as we so nicely put it, is all Kieoko's. Her true past…you know nothing of. Heed my warnings, and have nothing to do with her. You began liking Kagome because she was so similar to Kikyo, her reincarnation. Kieoko will look the same. She will act…in a way you will not suspect. Do not trust her, are anybody for that matter, for she has been sent by-" the miko choked, and she doubled over.

"I…am not…permitted…to say. I…must…leave. Do not trust…the one in the black…mist."

This time, her departure was with a slight shimmer before she snapped out of the picture.

"Do not trust Kieoko. Do not trust the one in the black mist. Who can I trust? This is all turning out to be some strange twisted hackneyed life." Inuyasha muttered, walking back to Miroku.

"Hell. I can't even trust Kaede. She said she was kind of the link between her sister and this world, and if I can't trust her sister and she is closely associated with her, what am I gonna do?!"

* * *

Naraku nodded nefariously, a small, smug smirk gracing his features.

"It will be as you say. If the Nobu was here, do you think he would have agreed?"

"No, you should be aware that I am of the darker ones, he of the lighter. You must find a way to mask her entrances, they are very…unique. You may call her Mitsuko. I will send the soul to you in one moon. My personal servant will deliver it."

Bowing to each other, the each went their separate ways.

Naraku would have rubbed his hands gleefully if he were that kind of person. Instead he just chuckled. This new plan would work even if several separate parts failed. The miko would be his. It had been rather amusing to learn that the Onigumo had fallen in love with a dark miko. Life was truly ironic.

"Kanna, see if you can find your sister now." He commanded. Kagura was really getting to be a problem. It was his essence that was missing, substance that could be used to make a more useful demon. All he wanted was to push the right buttons, get the right reactions, and then have the plan go out perfectly. Then the girl would be his. If anything went wrong, there was always the old trick to fall back on.

* * *

Kagome had soaked the stress of the test away in a bath. She hoped that her studying had paid off.

"Hey sis, Inuyasha's here. Are you going back anytime soon?" came Souta's voice, accompanied by a knock on the door.

Kagome sat straight up. The nerve of the hanyou! So soon too!

"Tell him I won't be back for at least two weeks!" she screamed, immediately regretting the action as the sound bounced off the walls of the small room and into her ears.

Souta leaped back from the bathroom door. He glanced over to Inuyasha, whose hands were clapped to his sensitive ears.

He shrugged and said humorously, "Well, I guess I don't need to repeat what she said."

Inuyasha nodded, and headed off in the direction of the well. It was fine with him, more time to think on the problem.

* * *

"Miroku, get your hands off my…eek!" Sango did a lively dance as Miroku went beyond daring. Her boomerang came close to his head several times, but Shippo restraint her with his little statues, which built up as she struggled.

"Hey, do you think Kagome's ever coming back?" Shippo asked suddenly. Sango and Miroku froze in their places as the statement penetrated their brains.

"No comment." They said at the same time.

* * *

'_Is that…'_

"Kagura! You forgot to bring your money!" a cheerful voice sounded. The woman who lived across the street from the Higurashi's slid open the front door and waved some coins and bills at the girl. She turned, giving Kagome a view of her face.

She had deep gray eyes, filled with sorrow and rebellion. Her hair was up in a form of a bun, secured with a feather, her earrings were red orbs. The face that Kagome knew so well looked misplaced on the schoolgirl's uniform.

"Kagura?" whispered Kagome. She ran to the girl and asked,

"Where did you come from? Why are you here, to fight? Naraku-"

Kagura faced Kagome and smiled a little.

"I am free. That force holding me back has released me…or have I escaped? Life is but a series of contradictions."

Her 'mother' raced down the steps to explain to Kagome,

"This is my adoptive daughter Kagura. She was found a couple weeks ago, and has apparently suffered from amnesia. Don't mind anything she says the police have already investigated, there are no marks on her except for a weird tattoo. Actually, it was more of a burn…" Covering her mouth, the woman apologized for talking so much and fast, and went back into her home quickly, red from embarrassment.

Kagome stared. That lady was strange.

"Well, Kagura, I guess I can show you around school and introduce you to people." _'And stay close enough to find out who you really are. I don't trust you…you shouldn't even be in my time. And do you really not remember anything?_' she added silently. "I'm afraid I won't be by very often, these illnesses seem to have a habit of infecting me whenever possible.

Kagura grinned eerily and said, "Oh I know. You have to go see him, right?" she would not give an explanation for this comment all throughout the day. Everyone was mystified by her unnaturally cheery countenance.

Everyone that is, except for Hojo. He was enchanted with the bubbly new student, and asked her out. Eri had tried making friends with the ex-wind sorceress, but when Kagome had handed Kagura her books and began talking, she had left, assuming that she was already being taken.

* * *

_After a month.._

"Mitsuko, this will be your new master." Said a miko, bowing to Naraku as she spoke. The pale girl stared with blank eyes. Her waist-length hair was bound in a braid and doubled back. Her bangs framed a symbol, /. Aside from that, her beautifully clear white skin was unblemished. His view of her was also unhindered, being as she wore nothing.

"The Nanashi Akira says that you may clothe her as you wish. She will do as you command, but has enough intelligence to make decisions for herself. The Nanashi also implores you to remember to mask her entrance and any other remarkable features of this. Akira has made the body herself, it would please her if body and soul remained together."

Naraku nodded. "It will be as your Mistress wished." He paused. "You seem familiar. May I have to honor of knowing your name?"

Her lips curving into a smile even as she prepared to leave, she responded,

"My name is Kieoko."

Leaving Naraku frowning, his forehead crinkling, she blew a kiss as she disappeared. Naraku turned to look at his new servant.

"Well, we are going to have some fun. But first…let's have a look at your quarry." Tesake appeared almost instantly, the fear showing in her eyes. It prompted a reaction from the empty Mitsuko…

Kagome vaulted out of the well easily, marveling at how lithe her body was becoming. She remembered pulling with her arms really hard at the beginning of all these adventures just to get out of the well. Until the ladder and the vines had been 'installed', she had gone through a lot of trouble and scrapes.

Inuyasha landed in front of her, arms crossed.

"Miko, are you ready to begin searching again?" he asked stiffly, not sure of how to act. Kagome smiled brightly and said, "Of course dear." She skipped to the village.

Inuyasha followed, blinking at her hyper and sunny state. It seemed false somehow. 'I bet you something is going to happen today.' He thought moodily to himself.

They had been walking for a time when Kagome stopped quite suddenly.

"A shard?" asked Sango hopefully.

"No, it is something else. I felt a demonic presence manifest itself. Inuyasha, do you sense anything?"

"Now that you mention it, yes, I do. This demon could strong, but the air smells like a combination of the Shikon jewel, Kikyo, and…Naraku." He said, his nose up in the air, eyes screwed closed.

"Let us wait for this demon to come forth. It may be best to ready ourselves for battle." Miroku said, sitting down lethargically. They all took a seat, facing outwards in a tight circle.

Pretty soon, the source of the power appeared in a cloud of black. As the smoke cleared away, the figure straightened. It was a woman, scantily clad. Her tight white clothing barely covered her curves, and the cloth was sheer. Her white silk headband was the only material close decent on her entire body. Miroku goggled while inching nearer.

"Will you d-do me the honor of b-bearing m-my child?" he stuttered, forgetting that she was a demon. He inched closer.

The woman frowned, and refused by shaking her head. Her gaze fell on Kagome and suddenly amused, she said in a husky voice,

"I suppose my clothes are not quite appropriate." She waved her hand and her top instantly became longer, and turned black. It was still form-fitting, but it was more modest. Her pants elongated to end a little below the knee, and intricate green embroidery stood out on the hems. Her headband turned a blood-red, shimmering in the sun.

Kagome found her voice first, and asked,

"Exactly who and what are you? Now that you are so close, I don't think you're a demon." The stranger looked puzzled, and replied,

"I…do not remember who I am. I do remember my name, but I cannot give it to you until the time is right. As for being a demon, I am one-I think. I'm not human, so that must be what kind of blood that's running through my veins." She sat down and began to busily braid her hair. Individual strands of color began to appear, standing out against the dark black.

Inuyasha strode boldly to stop before her and asked haughtily, hand on his sword, "Why are you here? There must be some reason you came to us."

She looked up, faintly annoyed, and replied in an unkind voice, "I felt that there was something drawing me to you, that my destiny would be bound with yours. I wish to find out why."

Inuyasha spluttered, "Does this mean that you are going to stay with us from now on? Damn! Miroku's not gonna be able to keep his fricken hands off of you in battle!"

"Inuyasha! I take offense to that." Miroku cut in, hurt. He undid his words as he reached for her hands. She gracefully moved herself out of reach.

"We would believe you better if you actually acted less hormone driven." Muttered Sango, dragging Miroku as he sported a foot long bruise on his head.

"But my lovely Sango," he protested, "It is normal for one of my family to appreciate the members of the opposite sex. You don't seem to appreciate it, so shouldn't I look for a woman who would?"

Far from appeasing the red demon exterminator, it angered her more.

The demon woman cocked her head as if listening for something. "The time is right. I will tell you my name. My name is Mitsuko."

"That was fast." Muttered Shippo, clinging to Kagome.

* * *

Kikyo glided over to Inuyasha, this time a bit shakily. Soon, he realized that he was the only one who could see her. He was puzzled by this; after all, he had seen her get dragged back to hell by her sister, Sachiko. And now, while there was a ghostly aura around her, Kikyo is definitely there. She motioned for him to follow her, and he obeyed instantaneously.

Kagome watched Inuyasha leave with hooded eyes. She could see Kikyo, too. And she also knew what happened to her, and why she is back. Yes, it was the dark miko blood taking over.

"Kikyo, I thought you went back to hell with Sachiko, your sister." Inuyasha asks, obviously puzzled.

"I did. And then I came back. I have to tell you that the one whom I replaced is back. Do not even talk to her, it could prove fatal, as it was for me." Kikyo sighed. Inuyasha noticed that her snakes were not with her.

"I have died a cruel death. I shall not give you the details, but you must know that I will not appear to you again. My love for you is the only thing that enabled this last meeting. Demons are not who they appear to be. Give me a last kiss, Inuyasha, and be prepared to meet me soon. In my hell."

Inuyasha leaned in and kissed her. Kagome, watching as always, grumbled. Even when she knew why, it still didn't hurt any less. In fact, it hurt more.

The reincarnation slipped back to the group. They were still walking, each absorbed in their own thoughts. Inuyasha returned shortly, his eyes downcast.

Mitsuko stopped suddenly, her head once again bent at an angle.

"I must leave you." Without any further explanation, she leapt for the nearest tree and bounded away. Soon after, Inuyasha reported that her scent had suddenly faded away.

"Nobu, I have come as you asked." Mitsuko said, bowing low.

"How, my little doll, did they receive you?"

"Very well, although they are still suspicious. The demon exterminator seems not to have found my personality suitable for her companions."

"Well as they should be. Tell me of how it went after I left you."

"After you left, I decided to be conveniently floating around the edge of the warrior spirit world. Perhaps after a day the Nanashi came. She seemed to be searching for another, but upon seeing me changed her mind. My soul was ripped from my spirit body, and brought to her stronghold. She then fashioned this body, with only a few essential details. After instructing me in what to do, she gave me to her servant, Kieoko. Kieoko brought me to Naraku, and left after informing him of her name. Naraku then decided that I was to appeal to the monk and Inuyasha first, thus my indecent clothing. He then gave me my third set of orders, and promised a punishment for disobedience. Now I have been walking with them for a few days." Mitsuko said in a slight monotone, her voice lifting a little at the end of each sentence.

"Very well. This is what I wish you to do." The man leaned in and began to murmur in her ear. Only the last sentence was audible.

"Make sure she doesn't suspect anything." Upon that, the man shimmered away, leaving Mitsuko alone with an evil smirk on her face.

* * *

After two weeks, much of their relationship remains the same. Miroku has given up on winning Mitsuko over; after a few overzealous passes she has become physical in her refusals. As strong as Sango is-the demonic strength she possesses deals an extra blow to his spirit. He went back to 'appreciating', as he calls it, his 'lovely Sango.' As if she had sensed how he had almost escaped, there isn't as much hitting going on as before.

Mitsuko is definitely not trying to do well. On the few battles that have occurred, she has stood on the side, interfering only when she wishes. Even so, her slight resemblance to Kikyo has given her the opportunity to start snaring the hanyou. He seems to be the only one not immune to her charm, and the demon means to make the most of it.

Shippo has remained unaffected, having been 'lost'. He is not worried; he knows that Kagome will find him eventually. That's why she gave him the shielded shard of the Shikon Jewel so long ago. Her ability to sense the shards will lead her straight to him sooner or later. It is this precaution that blinds him to the obvious danger drawing closer.

Kagome's miko powers have stopped glowing with the pure pink light that was characteristically hers. Instead, the pale rose had darkened to a dark, blood red. Her sacred arrow no longer formed a bullet of purity, but instead, a driven, spiked blast of energy that worked just as well. She had grown accustomed to her new fate.

Kagome, of course, with her newly awakened miko powers, knows that something is going on, and that Mitsuko is behind it all. Feeling suicidal, she shimmers back to the well.

Sitting on the side, there isn't much she can do about it. While her thinking had been impaired with the awakening of her dark miko blood, she retained enough rational thought to know that she would have to do something about Inuyasha.

Falling backwards, she traveled back to her own time. Upon heaving herself out of the well, she came face to face with Kumiko. His blond bangs covered most of his face, and he pulled her out easily. Unbalancing, Kagome fell heavily on him.

Grunting softly, he turned quickly so that she was pinned under his body.

Kagome opened her eyes cautiously and found herself looking into a blend of lush forest greens. They swirled and pulsed, a hypnotic sight that held her attention. She didn't notice him moving in until his lips fell on hers. Not really surprised, she still let him play with her, until his hand moved up her waist, and higher still.

"What the hell are you doing?" she demanded angrily, not using her full strength yet. The boy on her still retained a peaceful look, not minding her struggles at all.

"Taking you." He replied simply, adding, "I have to receive something for helping you all the time, don't I?"

"Sure." She replied sarcastically, finally shoving him to the side and standing up.

"If you wouldn't mind, I would love it if you would leave now." she said coldly, walking to the door.

"What, and leave your precious hanyou already?" he smirked, throwing all abandon aside.

Kagome froze, her hand motionless on the door, ready to slide it aside.

"What hanyou are you talking about?" she demanded, determined to keep it a secret if she still could. She didn't help her situation when she slapped him, hard across the cheek.

"Only the fact that you go back to the past for more than the jewel shards and the lives of innocents." He smirked, his now long tongue cleaning the blood that was slowly flowing out of the small cut near his cheekbone. It drew attention to his eyes, which were by now just slits. Kagome began to back up, inching her way blindly.

"Naraku doesn't want you escaping so quickly," He said, moving to block her way. He dropped the spider's name off easily, on purpose.

"But then again, _I_ don't want you escaping already. You influence me, and I find myself liking it. You can't deny the attraction." He said, closing in again.

"And when I'm finished…your precious hanyou won't want you anymore." He whispered against her ear. Frozen in shock, Kagome could do nothing, despite all of her newly awakened miko powers.

* * *

Mitsuko chose this time to start influencing Inuyasha's mind. She released more of the attracting powder given to her by the Nanashi to keep Miroku and Sango busy, and then evolved into her spirit form. In her ghostly state, she slipped into Inuyasha's body without him noticing. Well, he can't notice, as his senses are put on hold once she takes control. It is all so convenient for the double-crossing demoness.

"Miroku, I'm going to look for Kagome. It could take a while before I return, so don't worry."

"Okay Inuyasha, see you later." Miroku responded absentmindedly, waving his hand. Mitsuko gave a mental smirk. The monk was so stupid as to fall for her trick. She hadn't even tried to act like Inuyasha, speaking the way he does and everything.

Inuyasha, with the help Mitsuko, shimmered to the village. Kaede looked out, but didn't move to talk or stop him. It was doubtful that she even knew what was happening. Kagome was sitting on the side of the well, facing the inside. Her feet dangled weakly, and a visible red aura surrounded her. It grew darker and darker, until the shape of her body could barely be seen.

"Kagome, how do you wish to die?" Mitsuko, through Inuyasha, says with a sneer. Kagome raises her head and laughs. Since the Tetsusaiga is already out and pointing at her, she runs towards it. It pierces her in the heart, and the shards on her necklace fly into the air like crystalline tears. Real drops fall from her eyes, which are slowly blinking.

She ran backwards, and fell against the well. Leaning and breathing weakly, she waited.

The spell, now broken, Inuyasha realized that something had gone horribly wrong.

'_Kagome!_' Inuyasha silently shouted. He didn't understand how she messed up his joke. Running towards her, he threw the Tetsusaiga to the side, forgetting about the demonic blood running through his veins. There was no apparent danger, not yet anyway…

Kagome smiled, and said softly,

"You won't forget me, will you. I'll be seeing you soon, Inuyasha. Either in hell, or back….among the….living…"

"No! I will never forget you!" he shouted in pain, not realizing that she had not asked a question. He lowered her limp and bloody form, wondering how he would explain this to everyone else.

Her still bleeding body pulsed as she was drawn into a black void.

_Pain…Death is a release._

_Death…death will feed you._

_Life…life will hurt._

_Rebirth…that will make you._

_Undead existence…powerful existence._

_Evil, that is your fate._

_Light…overwhelms you._

Echoing around the new soul reaching for the spirit world, the guardians of the path chuckled. They could see that the Goddess of Life had not yet release her hold on this mortal's soul.

_Go back, and live._

_Go back, and feast._

_Go back, and hurt._

_Go back, and establish power._

_Go back…and take your revenge._

The spirit opened her spirit eyes. They focused on the shape of a man…with purple streaks going across his eyes. They moved slowly.

"Greetings, miko. I am the Nobu."

"Do you know me? What is my name? Why am I here?"

He laughed, and said,

"It is what you wish. But, I would like to call you…Kimo. Yes, that will be your new name. And because I am the one who has given you your name, I will be the one to instruct you in all that are natural…and destined. Come with me, Kimo. Your fate will soon be revealed."

Kimo followed the Nobu. She had to know everything, with the hunger of the undead taking her over.

* * *

Author's Note:

Well, anyway, Happy Holidays.

Might be interesting to know that I myself have submitted 622 reviews. That's a nice number.

Review please.


	8. Shade Eight

Author's Note:

This didn't take too much time to get out. I apologize for the shortness, but I had to maintain the cliffhanger. You see, this is everything to just before chapter twenty one. Eight chapters, where twenty once were. That's incredible…not. The really short chapters from before shame me.

* * *

**Dark Lineage**

**Shade Eight**

"You are joking. Please say that you are joking. Kagome is not dead." Sango said over and over again. Each time, Inuyasha pointed his clawed finger at Kagome's body. She seemed to be preserved, her face becoming paler, her blood richer. It had stopped making its way out of the small gash by this time, however.

Miroku was dry-eyed and calm, although his emotions were betrayed by the shaking of his hands.

"Where should we bury her? Or should we keep her preserved?"

"We are not going to pile her under some worm-infested dirt! We are going to entomb her in a tomb of stone, if anything." Inuyasha protested in an insane manner.

Miroku raised his eyebrows.

"Who is going to bring the stone here? And what exactly is her mother going to say about the death of her only daughter? And what exactly is she going to tell the educators of Kagome's time? Have you considered any of this yet, oh rash-headed friend?"

Inuyasha growled with frustration, and hissed,

"Mitsuko is going to help me, her mother already knows, and we'll think of something to tell the school." He was blatantly lying, and everyone could tell.

Tossing his head, Miroku then remarked,

"Mitsuko left two hours ago. Some more urgent business, I presume. For some reason, I feel nothing about that attractive woman, only blind indifference." For a moment, his face cleared and sorrow was seen. "It is as if my emotions have been trapped, and yet, I feel them."

"Apparently, your intelligence hasn't." shot Sango, her tears soaking the top of her kimono. Kirara had jumped out of her arms long before; her fur had been getting wet as well. Kaede offered a piece of fabric to her.

"Feh. I am going to discuss something with Kagome's mother. Find Shippo while I'm gone, will ya? The little shrimp's been missing long enough."

Miroku and Sango exchanged glances. Inuyasha's more sensitive side was coming to light.

Inuyasha leapt out of the well and reached for the door.

It slid open on its own, revealing Mrs. Higurashi.

"Inuyasha! I was hoping that you'd happen by. I have no idea what you were thinking, playing that nasty joke. I don't like crying, as you should know. No one does."

Inuyasha leaned back. "What joke are you talking about, woman?"

"You told me that Kagome was dead!" she shouted, her hands on her hips, her eyes turning red at the edges. She made a very scary picture, but the hanyou held his ground.

"She is! I saw her with me own eyes!" he shouted back.

"Oh yeah?" she said, crossing her arms. "Kagome, would you come here for a moment?"

A girl stepped into the house and gaped at Inuyasha.

"My, are those ears real?" she asked, tugging on them. Inuyasha gaped at the familiar girl dressed in her uniform. He didn't even move from her hands.

"I don't want to see you again. Kagome has suffered amnesia, and obviously doesn't remember you or anyone else. She is staying here. I don't know what I was thinking, letting her go on all of those 'adventures' with you barbarians. To make sure you stay away, I'm sealing the well!" her mother, shoved Inuyasha back down the well and slammed the lid on, placing a prayer on it. She nodded to Kagome, who looked confused. When her daughter didn't do anything, she slammed her hand on, and a blue glow covered the seal. Binds of light held the lid shut.

Kagome twirled her noodles around. Who was that sweet white-haired boy? Why had mother gotten so angry? It was strange; mother never said that the well was a time-transport. When had that happened?

"Kagome, you're going to be late for school." Souta said, handing her a backpack with a bit of trouble. It was loaded with homework.

'_That's funny; I don't remember doing this work._' She paused at the door.

'_Is there something wrong with me? Is there something I'm missing?'_

"Kagome! The bell is going to ring! We've got to get to homeroom!" yelled Kagura, waving furiously and pointing in the direction of the school.

'_Kagura, I know her from somewhere else, too. Maybe she knows what is happening.'_ Kagome hurried down the steps and joined her friend.

* * *

'_How did she seal the well? Her grandfather was supposed to be the only one besides Kagome with any miko powers at all. How am I going to turn into a full-blooded youkai without her to find shards for me?!' _

"Still wondering about her mom, Inuyasha?" asked Miroku. Sniffing, he finished sarcastically, "I'm sure that in a fit of confusion, she dug up the power from deep within her blood. Or maybe, it was there to begin with and she fooled you."

Sango walked in silence. They knew the location of three more shards, but after that, without Kagome, finding shards would be a chore and a very difficult task. If only she could be brought back to life…or the new future one brought back to the past. Inuyasha had told them of the new human in the future, when he described the said incident.

A demon erased all thoughts of Kagome and the shards. Well, thoughts of Kagome were gone, the five shards in its forehead didn't chase away thoughts of the Shikon no Tama.

The shards were arranged in an artistic pattern, / . (Sound familiar?)

Lowering their gazes to the actual features of the face, they saw that the demon was female, with yellow eyes. She smiled, her small mouth moving only slightly.

"Inuyasha, is it? I am sure that the reason for your fascination is because of my resemblance to Mitsuko. Ah well, my twin often finds her way to the hot guys first. She even got a better name than I…Mitsuko can be shortened in so many ways, while Akira can only be murmured in times of danger. And it's a masculine name, no less! She was always way too fast for her own good…But now, enough with the pleasantries. Let us fight!" she brandished her long pike. It was headed with a sharp barbed skull. The whole weapon resembled a swordfish. Despite its comical look, no one dared laugh.

Inuyasha drew the Tetsusaiga, and Kirara transformed. Before the battle had truly begun, Miroku tossed a bunch of prayers into the air, transfixing both demons. They had not the power to do that on their own, but it did serve to attract their attention.

"If you are truly Mitsuko's twin, you may know of her whereabouts. We have reason to suspect that she is the one behind our friend's death."

The demon laughed.

"Do you think that my sister would be that obvious? We have something in common: covering our tracks with blood. You won't find her unless the master wishes it! Since you've already discovered my purpose, I suppose we won't be able to fight today." She laughed once more, and flung down something from her hand. Shimmering away, she said finally, "A little hint: Naraku has been reforming the essences of the Shikon no Tama. You would do well to remember this, and not all that glitters is a shard."

The demoness shimmered away, and nodded in satisfaction. Her little act had worked quite well.

* * *

A wave of a hand brought clouds of blue mist around the little kitsune, who was slumbering peacefully. 

"Shippo, how do you feel?" asked a gentle voice.

"I'm okay. Are you Kagome?" he asked, the mist beginning to affect his senses.

"You must be mistaken. I am called Kimo. However, I can bring you to your mother. Would you like me to do that?"

"Yes please!" Shippo said eagerly, standing up.

"Then follow me. Remember that not everything is free. You must do something for me before I can find your mother for you."

Thoroughly taken over by the mist, Shippo followed Kimo in a drunken state, agreeing completely.

* * *

"…and that is why you did not remember. You must also keep in mind that what I have told you is what I know, you may have experienced other events and feelings, etc." Finished Kagura, sipping her tea and watching Kagome's face. 

"You must be kidding me. I couldn't possibly be a miko, and I would definitely not commit suicide by rushing on a demon's sword point. And even if I did believe this, I don't understand why or how I was brought back here to this time. Not only that, I doubt that if I had lost my memories so soon, drama lines would dictate that I regain them only after a long period of time, for suspense. It is all quite illogical."

"There, you have just proven that you do believe what I have told you. And for now, you do not need to understand anything besides the fact that Naraku is the least of your worries. Go back to the past, and go to Inuyasha. He won't ask any questions if he knows what's good for him, and it would be good if you didn't encourage doubt." Kagura advised. She waved her hand, shooing Kagome in the direction of home.

"Good luck!"

Kagome looked back, uncertain. She knew she would go on, and see if she could figure out her life.

* * *

"Please inform the Nanashi that I cannot make it to her meeting. I have urgent plans that cannot be left unsupervised." Ordered the Nobu. Kieoko bowed with a hidden smile. She left the room, certain that she knew what was going to happen. 

The Nobu sat back and sipped his wine. He waved for the servant to pour Naraku some. Naraku was at ease with Onigumo's childhood friend. He was also eager to see how the machinations of the master would work out.

Sure enough, after a few minutes, the Nanashi burst into his chamber. She was out of breath and not quite as dignified as one of her station and rank should be. Her hair was in her face, but she quickly composed herself. She tucked a strand of hair behind a ear and asked in a dangerously low voice,

"Did it occur to you that I might have a reason for meeting you at that precise moment? That I wasn't the only one waiting for your appearance?"

He considered her, and answered,

"Of course, my dear. I know that you have several Nobu replacements in your chambers…and you wanted me to be surprised and taken off guard. Naraku informed me." He gestured in Naraku's direction.

She spun around until her gaze rested on Naraku, who had been up to that time half-hidden behind the plant. He now moved into the light, his eyes lighting up with tainted mirth. She advanced on him. His sneer began to fade.

"Did you think that I might want him to evaluate my personal guard?" she whispered into his ear. Her fingernails began to extend and sharpen into points. She crawled her fingers up to where his heart would be located. This would have been seductive, were it not for those dangerous points.

"Naraku told me, but I knew beforehand, sister. You possibly hope to carry out a plan that will affect me without my knowledge. One of your candidates is my spy, if you wish. He reports many things that I might have overlooked, such as the beauty of your neck. However, these things are as they say, 'small potatoes', the fact that each of your lovers possesses a strength…"

"But sister, I may have found out in time anyway. I would let this go, if it were not for the fact that this is the most intricate plan I have ever seen. I want to see how you will carry this out. Your memory will be erased, and several triggers placed." Even as he spoke, white spheres floated out of the Nanashi's body. She gasped.

Naraku took one and placed it in his spider burn mark. The Nobu placed one on the inside of the door, and gathered the rest.

"When your plan is almost complete…and the final stroke is all that is needed, you will remember and weep." Naraku stared at the display of power. He knew that the Nobu was far stronger, but hadn't imagined that his strength could extend to these limits.

He left, and after a few minutes passed, events happened again.

The Nanashi strolled into the Nobu's outer chamber.

"The meeting went fine without you brother, but it would have been a lot better if you had been there." She said, irritated. Her brother only nodded and smiled, as if to an idiot.

* * *

"Kimo, if you wish to know your past, you must admit that you are a dark miko." Repeated the tired demon for the millionth time. The Nobu had put him in charge of controlling the miko, and she really wasn't cooperating. Kimo only shook her head once again, and went back to fashioning her arrows from cedar wood. She wanted to know who she had been, but there was something telling her that she wasn't truly a dark miko, and she shouldn't admit it to anyone or anything. Sure, her new mentor had said she was and he was usually right, but mikos weren't allowed to love. She was already in love…with an image from her past. 

The door opened, and they both looked up to see the newcomer.

"Hello Kimo, the Nobu sent me to fetch you. He says you're going to work on your mind powers."

Kimo frowned at him. There was something familiar about the face and the scar at the side of one cheek.

"Who are you?" she asked her eyes intensely focused on his face.

"Yes, he did say that your memories had not returned fully yet. I am Tetsaki, an incarnation of our favorite hanyou, Naraku. Do you remember him?"

Kimo wrinkled her brow in concentration. There were so many faces and not enough names. However, one face leapt out at her. More than one actually; a white baboon, a mummified evil, and a dark-haired youth. All reminded her of a spider. She inquired about this.

Tetsaki nodded, and remarked, "I see that you really are remembering. Naraku, Onigumo, and his current body are all one and the same. I suppose I can tell you some of his history."

But definitely not all, you play too big a part in his life to be described to yourself again. He proceeded to explain all of the occurrences of Naraku's life.

Kimo nodded every once in a while, the explanation and telling reforming themselves in her mind, placing themselves into individual files.

* * *

Kagome hurried down the stairs to the shrine. Her mother's ward was still there. She wondered why, she had never known her mother to possess this sort of power. She gingerly removed the scroll and removed the cover. Shutting her eyes, she slid in. Instantly a blue light filled the space around her and she got a floating feeling. 

The air settled down and she found herself looking up at blue sky.

'_I guess Kagura was right. Well, let's go.'_

Kagome climbed out of the well, grasping the vines weakly.

'_Wow, this is so familiar, even this weakness.'_

Sango glanced over in Inuyasha's direction. He had been very irritable lately; without Kagome sensing and directing them to the shards they had not collected any. This just gave Naraku an opportunity to get all of them. Not only that, Shippo was missing and had been missing for a while. There weren't enough worrying spaces in her brain to worry over all of this.

Abruptly he stood up.

"I'm going to the well to see if it's still sealed. Are you coming?" Miroku and Sango exchanged glances, and then nodded. It wouldn't hurt, however unlikely.

They made their way to the field. The hanyou began sniffing the air, his face twisted in an unreadable expression.

* * *

"Okay Shippo, you know what to do now?" 

"Yes, Kagome, I do. I have to go to Inuyasha and get the rest of the shards that he has. Then, I give Kirara this cake because she's my friend and she deserves it. I also give Miroku this scarf and say I got it from you. Then, we're playing a game so I have to run away from them and towards you." Shippo said gleefully, smiling the whole time at Kimo. She smiled back and said gently,

"Yes, that's right. We'll begin this game soon. Wait for my signal. Go play for now." Shippo ran outside and Kimo stood up. She had tried many times to get her to call her by her name, and not the name of the girl he thought she was. She hadn't succeeded, and so just left things as they were.

"Do you think he will stay under the spell long enough? There is much to be done, and we cannot risk letting him loose beforehand. Are you sure he is the one to be trusted with all of this?"

Kimo sighed and stared at the speaker. It was another dark miko, one of the younger ones. He was lucky, first mission with the best miko ever! He had remained nameless, probably to protect him from her wrath when he fumbled their plan. He ignored her scoff, and thought back to what the Nobu had warned him of.

"_Make sure that she does not recognize Inuyasha and the others. It could possibly ruin all of our plans. Everything will fall upon you to keep us safe. Even I cannot predict all that will happen, and can only take precautions against the things I think will happen. Don't falter."_

"_Yes sir, you can count on me."_

"Come Shippo, let's begin. Don't forget anything, or else I won't be able to feed you again."

* * *

Inuyasha stopped, letting Miroku and then Sango run into him. He had stopped so abruptly that they all overbalanced and collapsed in a pile of limbs. 

"Kagome…" he whispered from the bottom, paying no attention to the groans from up above him, nor to the slaps that started to occur.

* * *

Author's Note:

Nothing to say, just to review, if you do read. Oh yes, I realized that a miko should be a female, but play along, will ya? I'll change it to monk later, but the overall thing is still going to be called 'miko'. Thank you for understanding.


	9. Shade Nine

This isn't good, I'm almost finished revising all of my chapters. This means that I have to actually start generating more stuff for this storyline. (See the tears?

* * *

**Dark Lineage**

**Shade Nine**

"Kagome…" Inuyasha whispered, staring at the girl in front of him. She was the same as before, only a puzzled and scared look was in her eyes. He remembered seeing her like this before, when they had met for the first time.

"I suppose you are Inuyasha? And that must be Sango and Miroku over there. I don't see a little fox thing anywhere…where's Shippo?" she inquired, peering at each of them. Sango and Miroku nodded mutely, their struggles ceasing, and Inuyasha started forward. He dumped them off his shoulders, ignoring the indignant looks that followed him.

"Kagome, Shippo's lost. We were going to try and find him…I thought you were dead. You impaled yourself on the Tetsusaiga, only yesterday." He said, choking a little. His bangs hid his eyes, making his facial expression unreadable.

Kagome giggled nervously and set her almost empty backpack down.

"Well, you see, I don't really understand this at all either. I don't have any memories of you or any of the feudal era. But Kagura filled me in on what happened-"

"Wait a minute. You say _Kagura _told you? She disappeared, it's not possible. Not only that, she was one of Naraku's incarnations! Then again, you don't remember…"Sango said incredulously.

"Yes, Kagura did explain that she had once been under his power. Something happened, and when she reached the brink of death, her connection was severed. There were some details, but I didn't understand them. The guardians wouldn't let her through to Hell, but instead told her that I was going to die and she would have to make sure I wasn't ignorant of the situation. Kagura was given the choice to go through the well-once-and she chose to do so. She never told me what the other choice was, but I like to think that it was a sacrifice." Inuyasha thought that this was characteristic of Kagome, always thinking the best.

"Evidently, her wind powers have been replaced with mind control. She convinced all of the humans there that she had been there for a while. Then she found me and began to tell me as soon as she was sure that I had died on this side." She paused, and said as she walked forward,

"I'm still amazed that the well really was a transport. I hope my mom doesn't know or worry. She was supposedly given a dose of demon instincts-and miko powers. That's how she sealed the well before." Her destination reached, she began to touch Inuyasha's ears. This time he let her, his surprise evident on his face

Kagome gasped when Inuyasha pulled her into a hug. She suspected that he was crying, but instead wisely just hugged him back, despite the fact that she still didn't remember anything.

"I really thought you were dead." Embarrassed, he stood back and wiped his eyes. Miroku was also crying openly, and whispering to himself, '_So this is where my feelings went. Wait…that really doesn't make any sense.''_

"Okay, shard-hunter, let's get you a bow and arrows." Sango said while imprinting the image of the boys crying into her mind. This was a rare sight. Kirara purred, bringing her attention to Kagome's backpack. There was a note on the top, addressed to Sango…

* * *

Shippo transformed in to a puffy ball, went high up in the air, than transformed into a boulder, and came crashing down several times. Each time, Kimo caught him-with her bare hands, the little rock going poof into a kitsune, before the cycle repeated itself again. 

"Shippo, stay down here. We're almost at the village, and I don't want you to give away the game yet. Remember, you want to get to the hanyou last."

"Yes Kagome, I remember." The kitsune said, exasperated. She had gone over this every half hour, and it was getting boring.

"Um, Kimo…" the boy began, not sure how to address her.

"Yes?" she said politely, turning to face the dark monk she'd been ignoring for the past few hours.

"The Nobu asked me to make sure that you don't go near Inuyasha and the others. It could blow our entire plan." He said, nervous about how she would take it. Kimo looked at him coldly, and replied,

"The Nobu trusts me to carry out this task. I don't need you or him to warn me. I can take care of myself." She was careful to keep her words empty.

He nodded meekly, and turned his attention to the group of voices getting louder with each step. A group of villagers and Kaede were fast approaching. He beckoned to Shippo, and they retreated into the bushes, an illusion masking them as an extra precaution. He readied an attack, in case it was necessary.

Kaede turned and looked in their direction. Her minute miko powers had been able to pick up their presence. She swiveled and spoke.

"Stay back and ready your weapons. There is a demon or some great evil nearby." She warned the group of villagers behind her. Some nocked arrows to their bows, some drew swords. She turned back to face them.

"Now, show yourselves. We both know you're there, and that you mean harm. Who are you?" Kaede demanded.

Kimo began laughing maliciously. She signaled for the monk to lift the veil. He did so reluctantly, knowing he had no choice. Kimo was vastly powerful, and while he possessed skills that she had not yet refined, there were many things that she could do to him. He tried to keep a cloud of distortion over the kitsune though, keeping in mind more words from the Nobu.

Everyone gasped when they saw her face.

"Kagome?!" Kaede voiced the thoughts of all. Kimo frowned, her face crinkling into a less than attractive expression.

"Who is this you speak of? Do you not know that I am the Kimo, dark miko, prodigy of the Nobu?!" she said indignantly, color rising in her pale cheeks. It was all a cover-up for her confusion. For Shippo to call her this was okay, but for perfect strangers to as well implied something that she didn't want to think about just yet.

She waved her hand, and the sky immediately grew darker than before. A black bow streaked with silver appeared in her hands.

"Now let's see...one arrow for all of you? Or should I have you come up one at a time to be my targets?" she mused, nocking a silver arrow to her bow and raising it.

'_Kimo! You are not evil! You would not admit it to the Nobu, why are you letting it control you now?_' asked a little voice in her head.

Kaede stopped the villagers from firing their weapons with a raise of the arm. Her sister, Kieoko, was telling her something, her voice in a rushed form.

'_Sister. This is the miko Kagome brought back. She has not the strength of a pure miko as she had before, but her powers as a dark one are formidable. However…her soul is not whole. Interest her, and then you may rejoin your friend's soul.'_

Kaede opened her then closed eyes, and stared deeply into the violet eyes of Kimo. The piercing gaze stirred something in her, something deep and uncomfortable. A message was conveyed.

Kimo's bow was lowered, as well as her head.

"I apologize." She said abruptly, and turned, disappearing as soon as the last of her purple eyes were seen. It meant that as soon as her head was turned, her entire body disappeared as well.

"Kimo? I am not sure that was wise, we will have to let Shippo take out the process another day. It is too late now, and if that Kaede hag tells them of this meeting…well, the Nobu wouldn't be pleased." The monk fussed. Kimo was having a very hard time controlling her temper, he was very aggravating.

"We will just finish up tomorrow. Please leave me now, I do not want to have to wish for a better partner."

Kaede stared at the place where the miko resembling Kagome, Kikyo, and her sister once stood.

"I must inform Inuyasha of this new piece of information."

* * *

Kagome walked next to Inuyasha, admiring both the scenery and his ears. She could hardly believe that her life had been full of this before. It was too good to be true, to have traveled with such a cute guy all the time. 

"Inuyasha, let's find somewhere to sit down." No sooner had she uttered the sentence then he crashed into the ground.

"How did that happen?" Kagome wondered while helping the disheveled hanyou to his feet.

"Well, since you don't remember, I just have to tell you that when you say the word sit, I have to obey you-the rosary makes me. Not too sure about how smart telling you is, but it could go both ways." Said a disgruntled hanyou. He wasn't as irritated as he would once have been, but there were going to be limits. Sango and Miroku gaped at the way he had brushed it off.

They approached to village outskirts. There were no children playing outside, but groups of adults were scattered, murmuring worriedly. When one of the men caught sight of Inuyasha and Kagome, his eyes widened, but he tactfully did not comment on her presence.

"Lady Kaede wishes to see you, my lady and lord." He said, bowing deeply and pointing to where she could be found.

"Damn it, there better not have been another attack." Swore Inuyasha, fingering the Tetsusaiga.

"Wouldn't there be blood and wounded if there were?" asked a pale Kagome. "I'm sure there hasn't, I believe I would faint if there were gory people around here." She said, shuddering.

"Have you gone soft, Kagome? You helped us destroy many demons, most of which were not that pleasing to the eye." Replied Sango, very surprised. Kagome had not acted squeamish before. Then again, her reappearance may have something to do with it. She recalled the note she had found.

_To Sango:_

_Your friend Kagome has died. What the hanyou told you was true. Her soul has been deterred at the gates of Hell by the guardians. Instead of becoming a ghost, or a wandering sprite, she has been moved back into a body. To be more precise, she has returned in two. One has been stationed at her home in the present. The other has been reincarnated into a body identical to the original(s). That version of her is misguided, and on a side you don't want to engage in battle. You would do best to convince the dark miko that she is good, and to tell her of her past. The demon Tetsaki may be of help, he has fallen in love with me-or so he thinks. Since we all are one and same, his attention and loyalty may be turned elsewhere._

_You must protect the present-time Kagome. She is more vulnerable now, and noticeably different. Innocence is desirably in many for different reasons, but you must either harden her once more, or combine her fragments together before they each develop into separate beings. That would be the worst thing possible. The two parts must be whole._

_It would probably be best not to mention this to your friends. I highly doubt that the hanyou will appreciate this 'meddling' from me, and the monk…will be best left alone._

_I'll be in touch,_

_Kieoko_

* * *

Kaede turned at the snap of a stick. Inuyasha and the others had arrived. 

"I have seen-" she cut herself off as she looked upon the face of Kagome again, and then the rest of her, still dressed in the indecent clothing. Gathering her composure, she continued,

"I have seen one who calls herself Kimo. Her appearance is the same as the Lady Kagome, but her magic and attention are much different. I believe her to be the same as Kikyo was - a dark miko. My sister had contacted me, preventing bloodshed, and told me this. At the same time, the miko appeared to have second thoughts when our eyes met, and she and her company fled. There was a young man-and a kitsune that resembled our Shippo. However, if it was our Shippo, he has changed greatly."

Sango wore a look of understanding; well, more so than the others. Miroku wore an expression of utter confusion, while Inuyasha retained a look that spoke of him as clueless. Kagome just stared at the news, and felt more unwanted than before.

"We must think of how to deal with this." Sango said simply.

* * *

"Tomorrow. That is all." Kimo said simply, Shippo crossed his arms, pouting at the news. He had been looking forward to having fun with Inuyasha, who never seemed to like him much at all. Since she had said that he could do whatever he wanted without having the stronger man pound him, he had thought of many devices of torture to put him through. 

However, Kimo had assured him that he couldn't go with Kaede, or else the fun would be ruined.

He didn't want to put off his time any longer, and was ready to do something rash.

* * *

"Mitsuko, my sister, how indeed was it in the spirit world?" asked Akira with a false smile on. Mitsuko took note of it, and replied calmly, 

"Why would you want to know? Preparing for another visit there, maybe permanently? That would be a relief to everyone. You really are a pain in the ass, you manipulative witch."

Akira's expression never changed, but the air began to tense as the two mikos stared intently at each other. Akira relaxed first, and said,

"Still as sharp as ever, aren't we. Perhaps you can hide it from others, but since I am your sister, I know what your true personality is. Mother always favored you, probably because you two were so much alike."

"Awww, you _were_ the one being made fun of all the time at home, weren't you." Mocked Mitsuko, clenching her fists. "Why are we doing this? There is no point in jabbing at each other, nothing is going to get accomplished."

'_That is what you think.'_ Thought Akira to herself, allowing a small smile to penetrated her cold outside.

"Whether you were more popular or not, that is in the past. You died, and since I am the one who summoned you, you are under my command. This is what you have to do. The Nobu has taken Kagome's second fragment of soul, and is trying to turn her. You must make sure that Kimo gets relatively enough information about her past to keep her from attaching herself to the Nobu forever. However, if this knowledge is leaked too fast…there will be consequences."

She finished, extending her nails and examining them. The threat was not subtle by any means.

Mitsuko spat, but obeyed by leaving in a cloud of black mist, her features contorted in a mask of hatred.

"Tsk, you should be more grateful sister. I give you a second chance to live, demonic powers, many things. The things that will happen will see how much control I have over you though." Akira said to empty air. "Jealousy can ruin a perfectly good mind."

* * *

Shippo hummed and twirled around in the courtyard. The aromas around him lulled him into a stupor, deep enough for him not to notice the demoness creeping past him into the fortress. Mitsuko snickered silently as she observed the dizzy kitsune. _'How adorable_,' she thought sullenly. 

'_Well, must get to the Nobu and "do my mistress proud" by acting cool and not getting detected.'_ She thought resigning to her fate. She thought it was quite funny that she, so innocent and trustworthy in her former life, would now have to cross , and triple cross all the people who thought they could control her. In order, she was to report to herself, Akira, the Nobu, Naraku, and finally, her sister yet again. Of course, none could truly control her, she who had held absolute power in life.

She rolled across one hallway and ducked into the next. She got into the 'groove' looking sideways in a comical matter. Mitsuko knew her superior senses would warn her long before normal ones would have suspected anything.

A hand grasped her shoulder. She let out an inaudible gasp and spun around to face Tetsaki.

He smiled grimly, and asked, "What would you be doing here?"

She regained her composure and replied harshly,

"Sneaking to the Nobu, of course. I might ask the same of you."

His eyes hardened, and he put a hand to his heart.

"The Nobu has…convinced, my lord Naraku to give me into his service for a time. And so, I shall stay here with my present liege-lord. Come, I shall take you to him then." With Mitsuko protesting soundly, but to no avail, he led the way.

* * *

Kagome stopped and shook her head. Spots were dancing in front of her eyes, and they wouldn't go away. They had been there since she had woken up, and they were clouding her vision. Inuyasha noticed, and asked irritably, 

"What's the matter with you? You act like a bitch soaked in water. We've only been walking for about one or two hours."

Kagome looked meekly back, and replied,

"I can't see well. I know that this won't help, but it gives the semblance of helping, and that is enough for me. Would you like me to stop?" Sincerity shone through the confusion, befuddling her friends. Inuyasha was ready to nod, but stopped himself.

Sango shook her head. This part of Kagome was very strange, all good-girl, willing to please.

Kagome focused on one spot that didn't seem to be flickering around in her line of vision.

"I believe that, is a jewel shard. Or maybe two." She said, squinting in the direction she indicated.

A rapid cloud of dust could be seen zooming towards them. Inuyasha cocked his ear and sniffed the air, not seeming to believe what his senses were telling him. He put a hand on his sword.

"Kagome honey-where have you been? I only found you because of mutt-face here; your scent has totally changed!" Kouga said worriedly, all the while inching closer to Kagome, who looked bewildered.

"Kouga?! What the hell are you doing here? Everyone's turning up alive these days…" said Inuyasha incredulously. Miroku nodded in muted agreement.

"And what is that supposed to mean? Are the dead walking the paths of life again?" asked Kouga cryptically.

"But you really don't know? We found your body a few weeks ago, and it was not in the best condition." Stated Miroku heartlessly.

Kouga let out a faint howl of anguish and started muttering, "I knew something was wrong, it is wrong…"

Suddenly he froze and smiled strangely, almost crookedly.

"Ha, monk, stop pulling my leg. That was not true, was it?"

"I'm afraid it was, Kouga. You are acting most intelligently today." Miroku replied calmly, with a cool face. "That is most unusual."

"That was an insult." Growled the wolf youkai, and he lunged at Miroku. Kagome stepped in front, and with her knees shaking, commanded him to stop. Kouga stopped, and inquired,

"My honor is at stake. Even if you are my woman, I can't stop myself from hurting you if you continue to defend that imbecile."

"Kagome, step aside." Miroku said with a cheery grin. Kagome did so, trusting in the monk.

"Wind Tunnel!"

* * *

**_REVIEW!!!!_**


	10. Shade Ten

Disclaimer: Haven't done one of these in a while, have I?

Author's Note:

So, this is the unofficial restart of Dark Lineage. I am happy to announce that I am sick.

* * *

**Dark Lineage**

**Shade Ten**

"What?! You sucked him into that black hole? Miroku…" Kagome said, confused again. "I thought he was a friend! Why didn't we solve this peacefully, without having to kill him like that?! Kouga would have done something nice, wouldn't he have? Oh, all I know about him is that Kagura had killed off most of his tribe members and he's real mad. And he's fast because of the shards in his legs."

"He's probably not the real Kouga. The real one has about as much brain as I have…hm, as I have what? Oh yes, as I have had innocent years of life." Miroku responded with a careful smile. He wrapped his arm back up with the rosary.

"Besides, we've already cried all the tears we're every going to cry when we found the actual body and person dead. If I had…disposed of him in a more bloody matter, we might have been able to examine the body."

"Don't look at me like that, it's nothing as perverted as you seem to think it is. If it truly was what you think it was, then we'd be-"

"We shouldn't be having a conversation like this." Reminded Kagome, cutting in with a bright red face.

"Right. His body may have contained flaws, which would signal us to the fact that it wasn't natural. Kikyo herself has-had many flaws, that neither you nor Inuyasha ever sought to look past."

"Kikyo? I'm her reincarnation, right? What does she have to do with anything; Inuyasha loves me now, doesn't he?" Kagome asked.

Miroku slapped himself in the forehead. He'd forgotten that Kagura had limited knowledge of their actual relationships, only a little on their fighting skills. Maybe more, seeing as Naraku had had an incarnation named Kanna before.

Not really ready to go into an explanation of one of the most intricate love triangles he had ever seen, he merely replied,

"That's something you should ask Inuyasha about. Come on, we should be getting back together with everyone else."

* * *

As soon as Miroku had used his wind tunnel, Sango had left stealthily, not wishing to see the monk explain to Kagome anything. Her friends…yes her friends. She would return when the time was right. Be it a few minutes away, or even a day.

Inuyasha had slipped away as well, not wanting to see her reaction to Kouga any longer. It was bad enough that he had had to accept the wolf's help in the birds' territory, there had been a sort of relief when they had found the body. The tension was back again. He didn't know why Miroku had actually killed him again, but he was thankful.

"Inuyasha! Do you still have all of those shards we got from before? Did Naraku take them again 'cause Kagome isn't here?" asked Shippo innocently, resting on Inuyasha's legs. His head was cocked at a comical angle, and his face was the face of a purely naïve child. Everything was like it was before.

Even so, Inuyasha sensed that there was something wrong. Maybe it was the coloring of his eyes…maybe the slight change in pitch of the voice. That added to Shippo suddenly appearing out of nowhere with a cloud of unknown miasma around him did not add up to a happy ending. Then, of course, there was the Lady Kaede's warning on top of all things. Sango had come up with a plan remarkably quickly, but Miroku had seen several flaws. They were still working on it, the fools, while the threat had probably already landed in their midst.

"Of course Shippo, where else would they be? Kagome-" he bit off his words. There was not point in telling the kitsune, especially if he was really changed or bugged somehow as Inuyasha guessed. Best to answer as cautiously and truthfully as present-and keep all of his senses alert for the people who were almost certainly listening in from some other place.

"Inuyasha, did you scare Kagome away again? I couldn't find or smell her…where is she?" Shippo inquired, looking puzzled. He started to walk around, heading generally in the direction of the well. Very generally. He smacked into a tree.

Inuyasha ran after him, and pulled him to a stop before he ran into another one.

"Kagome is fine. What aren't you telling me?" He asked, trying the direct approach.

"Nothing, what wouldn't I tell you?" Shippo started shaking a little. A little while off, Kimo began to mutter and curse. Her control over the kitsune was weakening…and there was no telling what he might do after that.

"Are those the shards?" Shippo pointed to Inuyasha's chest, and without waiting for an answer, he grabbed them and started running. As he ran, his breath caught in his chest and he hacked and coughed as his speed ran down. Still, quite miraculously, he managed to stay in front of Inuyasha.

However, Inuyasha lunged, and tackled the little fox to the ground, forcing the shards from his hand.

Kimo swore silently, then started running at a quicksilver speed. She was still a while off, and it would be a while before she could reach them, unless she shimmered. For some reason, she didn't. However, she didn't know exactly what was happening, only that Shippo was out of her control and lying down.

Just as Inuyasha was about to start hitting Shippo, Kagome screamed "No!" and skidded to a stop in front of the two. Hands on her hips, she demanded,

"Why are you hurting each other? I thought we were all friends." Before anyone could answer, Kimo burst in from the bushes on the side of the worn path.

"Shippo, you've got-" startled, she stared at first Inuyasha, holding onto the jar, and then at Kagome. Both widened their eyes and walked closer.

"Who the hell are you?!" Inuyasha asked for all of them. Kimo dodged Sango's boomerang, and glared at the exterminator following her weapon.

"I am Kimo, the most recent dark miko to go under study with the infamous Nobu of the mikos. But once again, I am afraid that that is not the question at the moment. I will assume that you," she said, gesturing to Kagome, "-are Kagome, whom the old witch mistook me for. I don't know why you have assumed my guise, but I assure you, you are not welcome to it."

Involuntarily, she took a step towards Kagome. Kagome staggered a bit, and held onto Inuyasha. He looked at her strangely, attached to his arm with an iron grip.

"The two parts must be whole." Whispered Sango. It was a magnetic effect, with each passing moment; the two women stumbled closer together. Kimo wore a look of anger, frustration beginning to appear as she found that she could not control herself anymore than the other…human. Kagome, bewildered, tried to step back towards Inuyasha, the only sanctuary she could recall.

"This is useless and a waste of time." Cried Kimo and she swept with much force into the dark shadow that was waiting behind her. It folded in upon itself, and disappeared.

Kagome fell to the ground, gasping. Her hand clasped to her chest, her vision blurred again.

"Kagome! You alright?" asked Inuyasha, bending down next to her.

"What do you think? Do I look alright?!" She asked angrily, lifting her head a little. They all drew back, having gotten a little more used to the mild-mannered Kagome. This flash of sudden anger didn't fit with the new image they had built.

"What the hell is going on here? Everything is completely crazy." Inuyasha mumbled, not so softly.

"I suppose I should…argh, I don't know if I should. She…"

"Spill it, Sango." Growled the irate hanyou.

"You listened in the last time I tried to actually tell Miroku something important, and were…okay with it, so I suppose I can. She might be wrong about your reaction." Finished Sango, a little nervously.

Reaching into her kimono, she brought out the piece of paper. She had schooled herself not to touch it too much, and give it the worn look of a possession of a worried person.

"Should I read it, or do you each want to see it silently?" she asked all of them, even Kagome.

"What is it?" piped up a child's voice. All looked back at Shippo, blinking at them. Kagome shook her head, which only made her sight worse.

"I thought he went with the witch." She continued in the same rude voice as before.

"Evidently not." Stated Miroku.

"We can see that, monk."

"He doesn't smell as funny as he did before. Maybe he's back to normal." Inuyasha said hopefully.

"Even so, we need to keep him away." Miroku said in a very low voice. He knew that only Inuyasha's sensitive ears could pick it up.

Nodding minutely, Inuyasha asked Kagome,

"Hey, since both of you are still dazed, why don't you take him somewhere out of earshot? We can't trust him yet, and you were always the only one who could stand him anyway."

After being hit numerous times for the way he asked, the remaining adults were relieved when the two finally left.

"We'll have to make something up to actually tell her, though." Sango warned, opening the letter and passing it to Miroku. He read it silently. To pass the time, Sango stared unmercifully at Inuyasha.

Miroku looked up and noticed the sparks flying back and forth, as a result of…of what, he didn't know. But that was alright.

'_Maybe Lady Sango will exchange fiery gazes with me!_' He thought optimistically, handing Inuyasha the telling evidence.

Since she made no move to start (being either embarrassed from her previous experience, or because she was less comfortable with the one she was actually attracted to), he thought he would do the honors.

It didn't take long for the exterminator to notice.

"Ow…Sango, I was merely waiting for you to begin a staring contest with me!" he said, ruefully rubbing his sore cheek.

"Idiot, do my eyes grow on my chest?!" she replied, crossing her arms as if to better protect herself.

"Shut up, both of you. What are we going to do about Ka-Ki-Kieoko?" interrupted Inuyasha, stumbling over the variation of the two names he cherished. He did mean to discuss all three, just not yet.

"Something."

"Nothing yet." Replied Sango after shooting a look at the innocent looking monk. "What a useless answer? What's he supposed to do with that?" she hissed some more, not caring that Inuyasha was right there, wearing a most annoyed expression.

Sighing as he looked at the bickering couple, with Sango making fierce, unwarranted accusations and Miroku protesting smoothly, he thought, _'This is going to take a while.'_

* * *

"You can't just leave like that. No one's going to thank you for it." Kimo sighed, for perhaps the fiftieth time. Having chosen to go the long way, despite possibly future accusations of cowardliness, she had also chosen to put up with the monk's incessant worrying. For a very plain reason, he had refused to go ahead of her. Cowards, indeed.

They weren't walking though. No, not by a long shot.

Unless you called sitting on air and passing through things without having to lift a finger walking.

To be more exact, she and the dark monk were relaxing-physically, anyway. All dark mikos could transport themselves this way; that is, to give the air around them intelligence. It could then carry them, through solid objects, if necessary, to wherever they needed to be. And right now, she couldn't decide whether it would be in her best interest to go back to the person who had promised her knowledge.

Ah yes, the Nobu.

The evil, conniving bastard.

He had purposefully kept everything back from her, she knew that now.

And the idiot next to her probably knew something about this as well.

Just thinking of him made her growl, and her target jump. Laughing slightly, she rehearsed what she might say.

For some reason though, she could only keep main points in her mind, but not imagine his reaction to any of what she might have to say.

Kimo would have to touch on why she wasn't told of another look-alike prowling on the loose, why that look-alike seemed to be well known – basically everything about that other woman. Or girl. Swearing softly, she decided that age was also in the to-be conversation. Then there would be a little argument about when she would finally get to learn about what had happened. That, she was certain of. If anything, he would politely turn her demands aside.

She was growing impatient with his evasive answers. He knew how to play his cards just right, enough of a tantalizing hint dropped here and outright statement there.

And then there were the clues that outsiders gave her. Like Tetsaki, for example. Every time she turned and met his gaze, there would be something there before he quickly cloaked his eyes. Lust, maybe, or interest. It was hard to read the cold demon, as always. Some creatures were meant to be wondered about.

* * *

"So, she's failed?" asked Mitsuko, entwining her fingers with the decorations and carvings protruding from his mirror. The Nobu had even admitted to stealing the idea from Naraku, claiming that it was better than nothing. His was more of a pool of dark liquid, however. It was surrounded by a dark cherry carving, and sturdy plants that had nothing to do but exist for the pleasing of his eye.

"You could say that. The idiot next to her is a failure as well. A weakling. I thought he could handle it. I am almost never wrong." The Nobu said calmly, inserting a finger into the darkness, creating a disturbance in the once-clear image.

"I doubt that anything could have the success of what could have been accomplished, had she stayed. The Shikon no Tama is no longer the issue, but the power in both Kagome and the one I call Kimo is. I could get some of that raw 'magic', if you will, by killing both, but that would be a waste. Instead, they must both develop more. Then, I can kill them separately. If they actually fuse together again, which I'm sure many are trying to make them do, then they will be out of my reach."

"Are you in the habit of telling insubordinates all of your plans and details?" Mitsuko interrupted dryly.

"Who says that you're an insubordinate?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, only the fact that I'm really dead and have been brought back by my-the Nanashi Akira to be controlled by Naraku says it all for you. What do _you_ think?" the demoness stood up to leave, not liking where the conversation was going.

"And that matters, why?" The Nobu asked her retreating back, that soon disappeared when black mist covered it.

He looked back at the undisturbed surface of his mirror, and at the image of Kimo. As he watched, she frowned as if sensing him.

"Soon, darling, you'll be able to remember."

* * *

Author's Note:

Review please. (And Myriadragon, my next chapter may take a while. Gotta get in the groove!!!!)


	11. Shade Eleven

Disclaimer: Own only what I've made up.

Author's Note:

Wow, it's been a pretty long time. I found that writing about Kagura was really easy…These are all just like filler chapters. Can't think…

**

* * *

**

**Dark Lineage**

**Shade Eleven**

Inuyasha rested some distance away from the exterminator and monk, who were still arguing, if in quieter and hoarser voices than before. It had been a while since he had seen the contents of the letter, and he was still thinking over what it meant. Sachiko had told him not to trust anyone, and he hadn't, to the extent of his knowledge. But now, Kieoko had decided to pop up with this strange letter that explained everything neatly. Maybe too neatly as well, but it all fit perfectly. Well, perfectly minus a few missing pieces in their knowledge.

Would he end up falling for the second face that resembled his first love? It was true that he had only talked to Kagome in the first place because he thought that she was Kikyo, even though to his memories, Kikyo had just shot him. He had grown to know the girl beneath the familiar face though, and could now love her for who she was.

But now that girl had split again, into two people. He could now begin to appreciate the exact blend of personalities that was Kagome, and Kagome's alone. The two different combinations of what had once been her weren't easy to put up with.

"Would you two shut up?" he asked nicely, getting impatient. He hoped they didn't notice that he had asked after a long period of thinking. The thoughts he had been having weren't to be shared. They glared at him, both opening their mouths to protest.

"Could we _please_ do what we're supposed to be doing, and at least fabricate a story for that Kagome before we start wasting time!" He cut in before any words could be said.

"Oh, look, Inuyasha knows how to use the word fabricate." Sango said dully, beginning to use her brain for something other than remembering Miroku's little incidents.

"Shut up." Miroku mumbled, holding his bruised face, uncharacteristically sullen.

"Just tell her that Kieoko sent us a letter saying that there's a lot of danger to her and we have to protect her more." Sango dismissed the subject. Inuyasha brought it back up again; glad to have some leverage on her, for some perverse reason.

"And what of the enormous amount of time we took to 'discuss' it?" He asked sarcastically.

"Oh. Well."

* * *

There was little that she could do now. Just sit back and wait, since she had given up her one chance for direct revenge. She had been allowed one trip through the well, and lately she'd doubted her choice. 

Was it really for the best? All the misgivings that had been shoved aside rose again.

It had been a rare moment of selflessness when she had jumped through the time transport. It would probably be the only one for a while, perhaps the only one forever. Kagura wasn't created to be nice. And now, she was stuck in modern times, among automatic toilets and lame pickup lines.

But she wanted to go back. Back to where she had inspired fear, and commanded great power and influence. She still did; everyone was still talking about the new Goth girl. Her 'mother' had made arrangements; Kagura had made sure that the uniform was connected to strange, tragic events in her past – to their eyes, anyway. She wasn't really Goth, she just liked the color black because it was so devoid of everything else.

She was ruling over everything. Everything important to them, maybe.

She wasn't ruling over where she wanted to rule, though. She wanted to rule in the feudal era. Then, she could fight Naraku directly, instead of sending the baby version of Kagome back with only bits and pieces of what she remembered. Why had she even tried to help her? The little girl would never repay her.

She walked to school quickly, knowing that Kagome wouldn't be there for a while. It was to be expected. She should have waited, but Naraku shouldn't live for a day more than necessary. The people on the sidewalks either met her gaze curiously or avoided it. It was ridiculous, these mortals didn't understand anything. To be a demon was not a privilege or a reward, it was simply for the deserving, as she had been. The Fates must have allowed for her skills. Naraku might not have necessarily made her a demon; a human would also have served if it had the same powers.

"Kagura, you see Kagome anywhere?" A boy in front of her asked briskly and rudely. She looked up, not the least bit happy that he had interrupted her lamentations.

"No. Why you asking?" She shot back, just as impolitely.

"We need to talk." He said shortly. Kagura blinked.

"You need to talk to me?"

"No, stupid, to Kagome." He replied absently, still looking around as if looking for her would make her appear. Kagura looked him up and down and asked,

"Are you the Hojo that she's always talking about?"

"No. Do I even look like that ass?" he growled, finally focusing on the demon. He rubbed the back of his head tiredly.

"I wouldn't know." She replied coolly, looking past his changing green eyes. "But I do know that you're a demon. Of a kind, anyway and you're… But that's the first name that came into my mind. You understand."

"Of course." He said sarcastically, losing interest in her.

"Kumiko…" She furrowed her brow, knowing that name was important.

"Naraku!" she cried out after him, making him pause and wheel around.

"I know what's wrong with your aura and scent now." she hissed furiously, backing away with a hand raised in front of her.

"You took a blood oath to the bastard, didn't you. You're the Changer person that he was gloating over, you little – why did you do it? What's in it for you?"

"Nothing but the pride I'll be taking when I break her over and over again. It has nothing to do with what the Spider wants, and everything to do with what I want. You should know, I'm more in control than anyone could possibly guess. Kagura, I merely thought you were named after the wind sorceress. From this, I can guess that you _are _her, here for some reason." Kumiko smiled, emotionlessly advancing.

"Naraku's been looking for you. It's made him quite angry, that one of his precious incarnations escaped. I think I should take you back." He said calmly, grabbing her arm. Kagura struggled to get away, but his grip tightened and his features took on a feral look.

Casting a hurried look around, he began running back in the direction that she had just traveled.

"Where are you taking me!" She demanded angrily, reaching for her powers and finding them eluding her struggling control.

"You haven't been listening, have you?" He replied, annoyed.

"I have, but how the hell do you intend to get me back there?" she shot back, finally grasping her new abilities, and freezing him as he ran. Kumiko looked down calmly at his legs, and suddenly started running again. Kagura growled, and tried again, immobilizing his entire body. He quickly undid her spell and walked instead.

"This is going to take a while." He muttered, hoisting the girl over his shoulder.

"You're damn right it will." She said again, twisting in an escape attempt.

"Look, let's come to an agreement." He said after a few more minutes of trying to restrain a squirming girl. They had drawn more than their share of strange looks already.

"After you answer my question." She responded doggedly, kicking him into a bush. She stepped back, and prepared to get attacked. Kagura was surprised when he laughed softly, and picked himself up.

"I don't know why he wants you back, but it's obvious that you hated him even when you were bonded. I already told you that I'm in control of our connection. I might be able to help you break free completely, if you can do a few things for me."

Without waiting, he strode along the path they had been taking, if rather roughly.

Giving a frustrated growl, Kagura ran to catch up. He had left her hanging, on purpose. It had worked very well.

"Give me one reason why I would want to get any closer to the bastard who enslaved me."

"Simple. To kill him."

"And how would I do that? The hanyou has been trying for quite a while, him and his friends. And he is much more powerful than I, much as I hate to admit it."

"Before, you were trying with your wind powers. I know something has changed, time travel can do that to you. What powers do you have now?"

"I – I don't know for sure. I can read weaker minds, without trying, and most others with a little effort. If I imagine something happening, it can happen, with varying degrees of success depending on how much concentration I put into it. It's all strength of mind, I guess. I haven't used it much since I found that I had lost my control over wind."

It hadn't been too pleasant, that revelation. Upon recognizing that her link with Naraku had been severed, she had immediately removed her tattered and bloodied feather to escape to a safer area. It had grown, but when she stepped into it, it fell apart. It would have been fine if she had been close to the ground, but the vehicle had only deteriorated after transporting her for a few hundred feet. The fall had not helped her already severe injuries.

She had taken her time learning about her powers, like a helpless newborn it was trial and error. At first the ex-wind sorceress didn't even recognize that her powers were gone. It had taken many coincidences before she finally figured out what had happened.

Then, the dark miko had come. It was plain that she was of a lower class from the humble way she spoke, but that had been with enough arrogance anyway. The choice had been given to her, to stay or to go to the future. The conversation had been calm and collected enough, but just recollecting it sent shivers up her spine, for whatever reason.

_It had been in the afternoon, the sun had been quite bright. She had been recovering in a secluded area many trees. The shadows rippled on the leaves, cast by the others high above them. Kagura was sitting at the base of a tree close by the entrance of her hut. It had taken her a few painstaking days to make it comfortable, but the frustration had faded over already. Her mood was content._

_It was a peaceful atmosphere, but it was instantly broken when a slight rustle alerted her to the presence of something else. The intruder seemed to sense that it had been detected, and more noise came in her direction. _

_Kagura stiffened, knowing she would make easy prey for just about anything._

_Finally, the disturber came into view, brushing leaves from her clothes. She wore a white veil that covered the front of her entire upper body, and a contrasting black skirt. Kagura raised an eyebrow at the outfit, but kept the motion small, just in case. She hated being so weak and submissive, but it was survival of the fittest. If it meant acting as a inferior person; so be it._

"_You are Kagura?" She asked briskly in a clipped accent. Kagura nodded, but made no move to stand up._

"_I have been or – asked to convey an important decision to you. That is, you will have to make a decision that will make a great impact on many things." The veiled woman seemed to pause and collect her thoughts, which was just as well. She was beginning to sound like an errand runner and her message, trivial._

"_Your choices are to either stay here and retain your wind powers, or to go to where Kagome is from, and lose the powers. There is a slight chance that something in you will change when you leave though, so you may gain something better in the process." She said in a slower tone, frowning. _

"_And I would want to do that because?" Kagura asked harshly._

"_Many reasons. If you go to the future, you can influence Kagome more. If you pretend to lose your memory, that will help you. Naraku can be toppled more easily if you go. On the other hand, if you stay here, there are numerous advantages as well." _

"_You're confusing me on purpose."_

"_Of course not. If you do decide to go to the future, you must go to her well by sundown the day after tomorrow. That's how long we can hold the portal open for you for."_

_She had left stealthily, leaving Kagura with a wealth of information._

"She told me a lot…" Kagura murmured now, not quite aware that she had spoken aloud. Kumiko spared her a glance, and hurried his pace a little more.

She had told the former wind-sorceress a lot, but it had been up to her to piece the information together. Using logic and common sense, and a great deal of strange happenings, she had managed to figure out what the human had been trying to say.

Kumiko slid back the door and gently shoved her.

"Jump in."

"You crazy? The well only works for Kagome. Well for me, only once though, she said they couldn't hold it open after I got in."

"Stupid, they said they couldn't hold it, not that they wouldn't be able to open it again." He said with a sniff. "Get in."

"I – I don't know about this anymore. What if-" Her protest were cut off as Kumiko, finally losing patience, simply grabbed her around the waist and jumped in.

If she had been facing the front, or even had her eyes open, she might have seen a symbol that would have changed her mind. It flashed in a burst of white light, clashing against the blue backdrop. Kumiko smiled when he saw it, knowing that everything was going according to plan.

* * *

"So? What'd it say?" Kagome asked eagerly, jumping up when she finally saw thing walking back. Inuyasha landed heavily in front of her and said, 

"Kieoko just said you were in a bunch more danger than you usually are. Keh. It's not like that's something unusual." Inuyasha mumbled, looking away. Kagome nodded slowly.

"Why'd you take so long then? You're hiding something."

"Of course not. Sango and Miroku got into some…disagreements."

"Well then, why didn't you come back earlier and give them some privacy?"

"You think I would – oh, never mind."

"Shippo's sleeping, as you can see." Kagome said, grasping for something to say in the uncomfortable silence that followed.

"Yes. I have eyes."

"I'm sorry."

The disturbing thing was, she really did look sorry. Inuyasha sighed, and muttered,

"It's alright. Don't freak out over it."

Another silence fell; this time no one tried to break it. The fire crackled, and the water boiled over in a rush of bubbling steam. Kagome silently poured it into the waiting cups of ramen.

"So, Miroku, why's your face all red?" She asked finally, desperate to displace the gloomy feeling.

"I was letting Sango use it for a punching bag." He said cheerily, picking up his chopstick and reaching for a cup.

"Why is everyone being so quiet! You're all hiding something, and I want to know what it is _now_." she demanded in a quiet voice.

"It's nothing. Just let me eat in peace!" Inuyasha growled helplessly, knowing that she would keep digging until she got the answers.

"After you tell me."

"There's nothing."

"There is."

"There's _nothing_."

"There is. Tell me."

"Even if there was, I wouldn't." He finally sighed, tired already.

"You're gonna regret that." She said.

'_I already know I will.'_

* * *

She twirled her fingers in her mist placidly. Her sister obviously wasn't going to tell her anything more of her plans, and so that was the extent of what she could do for the Nobu. Resurrected people might not have the same limits as the still-living, but they still shared some of the more common limitations. What was shut in the mind was closed to the world, as no one that any knew of had telepathic powers. 

"Why are you still here?" Akira asked, just as calmly examining her hair. She turned it into a dark blue color, and seemed satisfied with how it looked.

"Do I have anywhere better to go?" Mitsuko responded lazily.

"Of course. You're staying for the pleasure of my company, is that it?" her sister asked sarcastically, reaching for a hairbrush.

"As if watching you groom yourself is entertaining."

"It could be, if you had the correct body parts to appreciate it."

"Which I'm thankful that I don't have."

"You would, wouldn't you." The Nanashi sighed without further elaborating.

"Just because I've loosened my hold around your neck doesn't mean you have to get all 'chummy' with me again. Not that we were that close in the first place…"

"I just feel like leeching off of your worldly goodies." Mitsuko replied, her tone dripping every bit as much sarcasm as the other had before.

"There's no point in doing that; they're for the living only," Akira smiled pointedly, "and you, I'm afraid, aren't living. You've got your limits. I still control you, _all_ of you no matter what you think."

"Damn you."

"Sorry, I've already been there and back." a subtle gesture brought another dark miko to their room. The Nanashi handed the girl the brush and sat back, waiting for her to start her ministrations.

"Sorry dear, but you don't hold any rank over me." The voice said mockingly.

"Kieoko, stop fooling and start already."

"I'm not. I've been liberated from you. It's not going to make much of a difference; you could never control me as much as you thought you could. Kumiko will be returning soon. You should get ready." The miko sneered at her now-equal companion.

"This is abrupt. And very forced." Akira said tightly. Something like this had been expected, but she had not thought that the Nobu would take away Kieoko, who had been a strong element in her planning.

"Isn't everything?"

"No. When do you think he'll arrive? And what exactly do you mean 'I should get ready'?"

"In about…hm, we'll say a few hours. He's bringing someone with him. You should be pleased. Another link has fallen into place."

* * *

Author's Note:

Sorry for the weird, stupid ending...

Review!

Thanks to Myriadragon for beta-ing this chapter! (Well, this isn't that version, haven't gotten it back yet. I got bored, you see. )

Chapter Twelve is almost done.

Once again, REVIEW!


	12. Shade Twelve

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters except for the ones I made up (and you should know which ones those are.)

Author's Note:

Kagura: A little OC in this chapter, and possibly in future ones. I've been planning a story using Kagura and Sesshomaru (a lovely pairing), but that'll come…much later.

Kumiko: A girl's name. I know this…well, I knew it before but I never felt like excusing myself until now. I found a person with this name, right here in my life! Yeah, so that's why.

* * *

**Dark Lineage**

**Shade Twelve **

"Let me go!" Kagura said impatiently, yanking at her wrist. Kumiko had tied some material around their wrists, and for some reason she could not break it. It only allowed for about a foot of movement, and she seemed to be the only one not comfortable with it. Kumiko strode ahead, not caring if it made her run to catch up.

He had leapt up as soon as his feet had touched the bottom of the well, tugging her along after him. She had thought to try and get back to the future through the well, suddenly afraid of all that could happen, but had only succeeded in doing something to her ankles and knees. The portal hadn't activated, so she had landed heavily. Nothing had been broken or sprained, but anything faster than a walk was painful.

Kumiko didn't care. He had just jumped back in after her and secured that tie. He had added a mild warning as to the consequences of trying to free herself, and had said nothing else.

"Where the hell are we going?"

"To see the Nanashi and her dear companions."

"Why? I haven't done anything to warrant their interest!" she protested.

"Of course you have. I believe Mitsuko will be most interested by you, as a matter of fact. I do pity you a bit, but nothing I said was false. You won't be harmed, and you are not obligated. We can protect you from Naraku."

"What's with the 'we'? I thought you said you were separate from any major working faction."

"I am. I just like to think my loyalties and assets lie in their hands." He replied calmly.

"Bastard." She mumbled, thinking his empty promises over.

"…Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Why can't you do some magic or use some power to get us there faster?" Kagura whined, trying to either make him take a break or free her.

"You're probably the only demon who can get us there by power. The dark mikos like to guard themselves very well. Otherwise, for the rest of us, feet and wings or whatever will have to do."

"You're probably just too lazy to do anything. This doesn't count for anything. No matter how powerful your dark mikos are, Naraku is more so. I struggled to free myself for quite a while. It was only luck that he left earlier from the island which weakened the connection enough for the kraken's poison to sever it. Even now, though, I can still feel a small thread of him around my heart. He's not completely gone, and I'm not too eager to go back."

"The dark mikos are much more powerful than your Naraku."

"Impossible. The little S.O.B. controlled everything. If you mikos were here before, why didn't you step in to take a share? I doubt you all have enough self-control to do that. Every single time you think you've met the ultimate enemy, another pops up." Kagura sighed.

"You could be right. But you are wrong at the same time. One division, the Nanashi's which you are going to meet soon, has perfect mind control. Her sister, Mitsuko, and her both received training in their lives. They can think about something without thinking about it consciously." He paused, and then grinned. "That doesn't really make sense, does it."

"It doesn't have to. I understand what you're trying to say."

"Oh really? That's good. Maybe your powers are getting more refined."

"…Are we there yet?"

* * *

Kimo licked the blood off her finger. It had splattered a bit while she was having fun, and was now staining her even, white skin. The dark monk had been disposed of, having outlived his use. (It was a clean job, slow, but still clean. The look in his eyes had been quite amusing, and served double in shutting her inner voices up.)

That phrase was actually quite peculiar, if one sat down and thought about it. The exact meaning could be inferred, and it was usually quite accurate in all usage.

She still hadn't been granted an 'audience' with the Nobu yet. Most likely he was avoiding her. It was one of three reasons.

One, that she was a formidable foe. He would want to avoid her and her power. Wrath often invokes deeper powers. Kimo wasn't sure if this would make her flattered or annoyed.

Two, she was too insignificant to attend to at the moment. This made Kimo angry, and she quickly dismissed the idea. She'd been resurrected, evidently, and he could possible hold the strings. If this was so, he'd had to have had a reason for bringing her back to life.

The third was that the Nobu had simply forgotten about her, but it was the least likely. She wasn't an easy person to forget, and his messengers and servants had assured her that it was not the case. The excuses they had made didn't quite reassure her the way she wanted to be, but they would do.

Whatever the reason, she still had been waiting for a few days. It wasn't polite, and even if she wasn't as powerful as he was, she could still cause some disturbances. It was true that her hunger to know about her past would probably serve as a fairly strong leash, but even the strongest chains can break because of the weakest link.

In other words, if she got angry enough, her past wouldn't matter anymore. She was a wolf grabbed by the ears, ready to bite at the slightest sign of weakness.

Kimo suddenly smiled pleasantly and snapped her fingers, making the servant who had just arrived jump.

"Tetsaki's waiting for you outside." Once the servant had delivered her message, she left, leaving Kimo with the decision of going or not.

"Hm…if I don't go, I can always blame the girl who told me. Say her message wasn't clear, or even better, there _was_ no message. He wouldn't care, and I wouldn't be affected at all." She mused out loud, not caring who would hear her.

"But I must admit, I'm interested."

* * *

Tetsaki paced the grounds outside the castle impatiently. The Nobu had an aesthetic side, and had strategically decorated the grounds with gardens and other things pleasing to the eye. The paths were worn with use, but remained beautiful despite the smooth, old look that every one had.

Kimo, the stronger part of Kagome. It was actually rather ironic that she would end up with the Nobu, when the woman who had started the whole chain of look-alikes was with the Nanashi. He would have thought that the Nanashi would want to keep tabs on all three. She only had Kieoko, while the weaker Kagome was with her companions, and Kimo was here. All three were so vulnerable on their own. So vulnerable. But some more so than others. Kieoko could take care of herself. She had in Hell, and the world they were on now was much easier to live on.

Kimo, to some extent, could also take care of herself. She had received the stronger and darker side of what would have been Kikyo's powers. Her ability to use them was also quite advanced. It was unnatural.

The one who had kept Kagome's place was a mere babe compared to the other two. She would die soon, but the hanyou could probably keep her fairly safe. He had fought off the krakens admirably well.

A small sound alerted him to the arrival of someone else. _'So she's actually come…'_

"What do you want?" Kimo asked brusquely, crossing her arms.

"That's not polite." He said, at a loss of words to say against her blatant rudeness.

"I'm not feeling very polite today." She grinned.

"I can see that." Tetsaki replied, still not knowing how to lead in to what he had wanted to meet with her about.

"Whatever. You're wasting my time. Can you get me a meeting with the Nobu? He owes me some major answers."

"No, I can't. I just needed to talk to you about the Kagome, Kieoko, and Kikyo." Tetsaki had decided that straight out was the way to go.

"Kagome's the miko girl the stupid people in that village thought I was."

"Yes."

"In that case, let's talk some more. Do you know if there's anyone close enough to eavesdrop?" She asked sweetly, reminding Tetsaki that Kimo may be the most dangerous out of the three. The fact was, she was a woman with a will, and when there's a will, there is always a way.

"The Nobu had safeguarded his lands, and if properly raised, the wards will be able to cut off the senses to intruders if necessary. I'm not sure if those limitations extend to him, however, so we may have to go further." Tetsaki thought for a moment, then nodded to show his opinion hadn't changed.

"That's alright; I can take care of him if his setting can get rid of the rest." She said cheerfully, and started walking away. Tetsaki lengthened his stride by just a little to catch up. No one should make him run or scuttle to overtake them.

They rounded the corner, and Tetsaki mumbled a few garbled words and raised his hand. To an outsider's eyes, nothing would have happened. To Kimo and Tetsaki, a shimmering gray veil had fallen in a small dome around them.

"Interesting…"

"Yes, quite. You understand that you're in a lot of danger?"

"Of course. I've been in danger since the day the Nobu 'resurrected' me, which, by the way, is not entirely the right term for my situation. He didn't put me back into my old body."

"Would that be Kikyo's body or Kagome's?" Tetsaki grinned.

"Who's this Kikyo?" Kimo frowned.

"Oh yes, that would be part of what I needed to tell you. I'm assuming that you know that you've died."

"Yes…" She glared.

"You don't know any more details about that, right?"

"Yes…" Her glare heated.

"Alright, it's a bit complicated. I'm gonna have my head cut off, or maybe my heart retracted and given back to Naraku, but I think it's worth it." He stopped, considering her. "You've made me talk more, and that's unusual. I like it."

"The whole chain of reincarnation and resurrection goes back to one priestess named Kieoko, about 60 years ago."

"I've seen her once before; she served the Nanashi. Pretty, but she looks nothing like me. And if it was really her, wouldn't she be shriveled up and looking like a hag?"

"Not necessarily. You see, she was the protector of the Shikon no Tama, and a powerful master of the white arts. This attracted a lot of attention, and not just from demons. The dark mikos also took a hand in it. It was realized that she held a lot of potential to become one of them, and so they began to corrupt her. It was also realized that she couldn't be changed in the manner they wanted her to be, so they decided that Hell would be the best place to get what they wanted accomplished."

"Others of her lineage could also carry the corrupted blood, so they couldn't be warned. So, a replacement was needed."

"Is this Kagome or Kikyo?" Kimo interrupted, her mind absorbing all the information without any doubt.

"That would be Kikyo. She was a dark miko high in the ranks that had been existing. She was powerful in the use of illusions and 'foolery', if I may be so coarse as to state. She volunteered for the part, eager to get away from Hell."

"Tetsaki, why do you know so much about this?" Kimo frowned suspiciously. "I don't think this kind of information is just given to anybody if they ask for it."

Tetsaki sighed. He had been hoping that she wouldn't ask. What he had to answer could very well destroy the fragile bond of trust that barely existed as it was.

"Answer me."

"I have eyes and ears."

"That's not all."

"The Nobu wanted me to be the one to tell you, since you seem to be the most comfortable with me."

"Figures. I thought I could like you for a person, but it turns out he's behind this as well." Suddenly a bright flash of anger contorted her features, and the gray dome was destroyed.

"You may tell me the rest some other time. But now, there's a dark monk I must question or destroy. Preferably the latter." She grinned, and started running. Her strides ate up the ground, until Kimo was nothing but a blur.

"My fault…" He mumbled, also beginning to run, in the opposite direction. Moments later, a shadowy shape began dashing through the air.

* * *

"Kagome, can I ride in the basket?" Shippo asked, loping along beside her bike. Kagome looked down and scooped him up, almost falling down in the process. Shippo leapt eagerly to his seat of choice and began surveying the people behind them. Kagome was leading because she could still sense the shards, and the few that remained were the only things they had to get. It was also a good way to get their minds off of the trouble that had been brewing.

It was clear that the Shikon no Tama would play but a small part in the upcoming chaos, but it was one small piece of their universe that had not crumbled away yet. A small part that could still carry on.

Inuyasha walked behind Sango and Miroku. He stared at his feet; surprisingly, did not fall. The Shikon no Tama had always been a depressing subject, and now, it was all he thought about. It was better to think of what he could still control, than what he could not. Kieoko had said she would contact them soon, and 'soon' had passed already.

"They're really close, Inuyasha." Kagome announced, looking back. The bike wobbled treacherously.

"Keep your eyes ahead, wench. You're bad enough as it is." He growled back at her, focusing on the bike to keep from seeing the hurt expression in her eyes. It would be better to remember that she wasn't who she used to be. It would be better.

The demon in question walked calmly – no, glided. It was in its humanoid form, and looked bored.

Inuyasha copied its look and wearily drew the Tetsusaiga. He ran in front of it and slashed.

Only to miss.

Again, and again.

His sword met with air.

Finally, the silent opponent spoke.

"It's been rather hard to find you. People do like to wander around these days. Kieoko told me you were still searching for the shards, so I decided to find a couple and make you come to me instead."

Inuyasha stopped his aimless swinging and glared.

"What does _she_ have to do with anything?"

"Oh, nothing if you think that you don't need her anymore. But it would seem that you do. I'm a messenger."

"Prove it." Inuyasha said uncertainly.

"Inuyasha, get the shards already!" Kagome called from the sidelines, no one else having been close enough to hear the exchange.

"In a moment!" he shouted back absently.

"What's the message?" Inuyasha asked tersely.

"Hah, you are to follow me."

"…"

"It is the truth."

"…and how am I supposed to get the others to do that? Kagome and Shippo don't even know about Kieoko or the note."

"It's your problem." He sat down, the Tetsusaiga falling with him, only to be stopped by an unseen barrier.

"Idiot." He mumbled to himself, reaching out and grabbing his sword back. He walked back to where Kagome was sitting, and held out his hand. She took it with a puzzled look, and asked,

"What about that demon?"

"What about it?"

"We can't just leave it there!"

"Why not? He just wants us to follow him, that's all." Inuyasha replied sarcastically, still walking to where the monk and exterminator were waiting, also with confused expressions.

"Well, what if he wants to lead us into a trap? Are we really following him?" Kagome asked, concerned.

"Just shut up." Inuyasha sighed. Kagome fell silent, and Inuyasha cursed internally again.

"Inuyasha, why are you walking away from that demon?" Sango asked as soon as they drew within human earshot.

"He wants us to follow him, so I'm conferencing." The hanyou growled, then drew closer to Sango. In a lower tone, he added, "He says he's from Kieoko."

Kagome tapped his shoulder.

"What!"

"Why are you whispering to Sango? Do you like her?" She asked innocently, maybe even paranoid. Behind the innocence laid a faint threat; 'If you answer positively, I'll beat the hell out of you.'

"Uh – no! I was just telling her…."

"Yes?"

"I was telling her that…Miroku's hand is getting close to her ass again!" Inuyasha stuttered. It was lucky for him that Miroku _had_ been moving in.

"Oh really…" Kagome observed him for a few more seconds before turning to Sango.

"Do you think we should 'follow' this demon?"

Sango paused, thinking fast. To answer her positively would bring waves of suspicion down. Miroku decided to step in, even if Kagome's paranoia would spread to cover him as well.

"Kagome, I think we should follow. With Inuyasha's sword and half-demon strength, my Wind Tunnel, Sango's Hiraikotsu, and your sacred arrows, we should be fine." He soothed.

"If you all think so." She said childishly, crossing her arms and stalking off.

* * *

Author's Note:

I've been gone for a really long time, so I would really appreciate some nice reviews. Life hasn't been really nice.

Reviews, please?


End file.
